#what were you guys for halloween as kids i insisted on being a black cat for six years in a row not kidding (file under is this autism)

[louderfade]

omg what if we get trick or treaters. last year we were literally dead broke and couldn't buy candy but nobody came anyway bc we're the neighborhood haunted house. (it's bc we don't mow our lawn. also i put green lightbulbs in all the lights outside for maximum effect.) when we lived in nevada and had student loan money we gave out full bars to everyone two years in a row and the kids' reactions were beyond worth it. me realizing i have mostly good memories of halloween.

#what were you guys for halloween as kids i insisted on being a black cat for six years in a row not kidding (file under is this autism) #but the last halloween i trick or treated i had an elaborate costume my grandma made based on an illustration of queen elizabeth I #i was obsessed with this book about queen elizabeth that fall and grandma came through for me big time #it was a three piece garment containing exciting accuracy details literally no one has ever cared about lol #personal

[psychedellic-phase]

Ghosts & Icing

A/N: this request is adorable and I hope I did it justice!! I went with the seasons 12-15 gang because then there would be a ton of kiddos and also I love Luke Alvez and he deserves the world :)

TW: None fluff city

wc: 2.0k

Masterlist

“Spence, where does the green skeleton go? Between the pumpkins or next to the gargoyle?” You called up to Spencer, waddling over to the many boxes of Halloween decorations that your husband had accumulated over the years. 

It was barely September 30th, and you were already decorating for his most beloved holiday. You didn’t mind; you loved him and he loved Halloween. So, naturally, you loved Halloween too. Before you met Spencer, you hadn’t even so much as carved a pumpkin each year, and the last time you wore a costume was at a college frat party. Well, if wearing a set of cat ears and drawn on eyeliner whiskers can even be considered a costume. According to Spencer Reid, it is not. But here you were, wearing a shirt covered in jack-o-lanterns and ghosts that barely fit over your protruding belly. Oh how life can change. 

Spencer appeared seemingly out of thin air, looking frazzled, his hair more disheveled than usual, some fake cobwebs tangled in it, and orange lights draped around him like he was a Christmas tree. 

“Don’t touch anything!”

You put your hands up in defeat, “Alright, I’ll let the Halloween king decorate his castle.”

You pottered over the front stoop, sitting on the hard concrete and watching him put fake cobwebs and oversized spiders in the bushes. You leaned back, rubbing your belly softly. It wasn’t that big, only twenty-four weeks, but you felt like you had stolen one of Spencer’s beloved pumpkins and shoved it under your shirt.

When you saw him again he was breathless. Only he could be overexerted from decorating.

“Should I put the tombstone next to the Frankenstein head? Or should I make a mini graveyard in the lawn?”

You grinned, admiring his child-like enthusiasm. He rarely had that anymore. Honestly, after all the real life horror he saw, you were surprised he still liked a jump scare. The second hand fear you felt for him everyday was more than enough; you didn’t need Freddy Krueger to supplement. 

“I think you should do whatever you want, Babe.”

He groaned, “You’re no help!” “You’re the one that told me to not touch anything, Reid.”

He smiled, “You’re right, but now I need you to touch something.”

You wiggled your eyebrows and stood up, making your way to him. You smoothed out his sweaty t-shirt and moved his hair from his eyes, “I’ll touch whatever you want.”

He stifled a laugh, “I-I didn’t mean like that; that job has been done. I meant like you could put the ghosts along the walkway while I set up the orange and purple lights.” As soon as he finished saying it, the box of ghosts were in your hand and he was untangling lights. 

“Hey! You forgot something!”

He stumbled over to you, looking side to side with wide eyes “What? What’d I forget?”

You puckered your lips and he smiled, planting a kiss on them. 

“Thank you, and you better shower before everyone gets here. You stink Reid!”

“So do you, Reid! Love you!” He called after you before making his way back inside to find more decorations. 

“Purple is the color of the seventh chakra, which represents the third eye and clairvoyance, so purple has become closely associated with the holiday as it is very spiritual in nature. Actually, purple has a rather complicated color symbolism because it is the mixture of calm blue and passionate red. The emotions attached to it vary, depending on whether or not it is a blue based purple or a red based purple. Which is actually an interesting conundrum when you look at the color spectrum-” Spencer rambled to the table of children and their parents who were just there to decorate sugar cookies and admire the ghost stickers on the walls.

Matt laughed, “Thanks for that, Reid. But I think Kristy was just complimenting the lights on the mantle.”

Everyone laughed and Spencer flushed a light shade of pink. You came up to him and admired the mess of a kitchen table in front of you.

On one side were the Jareau-LaMontagnes. Henry was old enough to try to make a ghost, but Michael was still too little to sit in his own seat. He was on Will’s lap, patting his hands on orange sprinkles and watching them stick to his little palms. Then he would clap and watch them fall to the ground around him, giggling every time.

“I’m real sorry about the mess, Y/N,” Will said in his sweet southern drawl.

You smiled, “Hey, I said we’d host Halloween cookie day. I’m more than happy to clean it up. Plus, it’s practice for this guy.” You patted your belly and he smiled.

On the opposing side of the table was the ever growing Simmons clan. David and Jake were squeezing green icing out of bags trying to make Frankensteins, and their younger sisters were hogging all the purple and drawing flowers on the cookies shaped like bats. 

The kids weren’t the only ones having fun though. You set up a separate table for the adults. It was kind of like those wine and art nights, but in this case the art was edible.

Penelope got the short end of the stick (in her book at least) and was sitting next to Luke, aka Newbie, “You cannot just hog all the red icing! I swear to GOD Luke Alvez!”

Luke puckered up his face and mocked Penelope, “I swear to GOD Luke Alvez!”

“Oh SHUT UP SHUT UP! Just because you’re all macho and handsome doesn’t mean you get to hog all the icing!”

“Maybe you wouldn’t need the red icing if you hadn’t insisted on making the skull rainbow.”

Penelope groaned and looked across the room at you and Spencer, begging you to help her. The two of you just laughed and you leaned into Spencer’s side. 

“When do you think she’ll finally admit she’s in love with him?”

Spencer laughed, putting his hand on the small of your back, “Never. Garcia is many things, and stubborn is one of them.”

Rossi was next to them, sitting back and not participating in the icing war that was going on in front of him. He just warned them that they better not get any on his brand new Italian silk shirt. 

“It’s handmade, you know, only fifteen were even made. I had to call a guy who knows a guy who knows the maker’s sister to get one.”

JJ rolled her eyes, “Sure Rossi, and this shirt was actually worn by the Queen of England.” 

She gestured to the black shirt she was wearing which clearly said, “Happy Halloween Witches!” 

Dave scoffed, “Listen, Jennifer, I know Liz well. She would never wear something that tried to replace the word ‘bitches’ with ‘witches’. She’s classy.”

JJ laughed, taking another gulp of wine, “Liz? So what… you guys are on a first name basis?”

He shrugged, “Let’s just say, if Philip wasn’t in the picture…”

They were interrupted by Henry coming up to his mom and showing her the ghost cookie he had tried to make, “Do you like it, mom?”

“Wow dude! That is one scary ghost,” she said, taking it from him and licking some stray icing off her fingers.

He grinned proudly, and insisted on showing his favorite Uncle Spencer.

“Uncle Spence! Come look at my ghost!”

Spencer looked over at you, silently asking for permission to leave your side. You smiled and waved your hand, “Go! But please don’t get black icing on the ceiling again. This year, you’ll be the one cleaning it.”

He smiled and sat at the ridiculously small kids chair, looking like a giant, and picked up a few piping bags to make his own creation.

Suddenly Emily and Tara appeared next to you, holding an empty bottle of wine, “We need a refill, Mrs. Reid.”

You still blushed at the use of your married name, no matter how many times you heard it, “Follow me to the wine cellar, ladies!”

The two of them followed behind you as you walked carefully down the steps, “Spencer usually doesn’t let me down here. He says the steps are unsafe.”

“Uh, yeah, if I had known how narrow and steep they were I would’ve just asked you to direct me,” Tara said, looking for the light switch on the wall. She found it and soon the three of you were staring at the dark walls of the basement.

“Okay, maybe I lied. It isn’t so much a wine cellar as it is just a regular, creepy old basement.”

“Full of spiders,” Emily added, swatting at a cobweb on the extremely low ceiling. Spencer had to crouch when he came down here. 

“That’s what you get for buying a house built in 1920, Y/N,” Tara added, as they both began sifting through the stray bottles of wine in a box on the floor.

“I know, but Spencer insisted because it ‘adds character.’”

“Being married to that man, I don’t know how much more character you need,” Emily said, pulling out a bottle of cheap Barefoot red wine, “I bet you miss this.”

You rubbed your belly, “I said I’m bringing a bottle of wine in my hospital bag.”

Tara laughed, “And what did Dr. Reid say to that? ‘Actually, Y/N, you can’t have alcohol in the hospital.’”

“No, no, I bet it was more like, ‘did you know that alcohol is a depressant? It slows down your cognitive functions, thus making it much harder to care for a newborn baby.’”

“Hey! Stop making fun of my husband!” you said, the two women looking as if they’d just seen a ghost, which was rather fitting for the occasion, “Only I get to do that!”

The three of you laughed and they helped you hobble up the stairs, where you were met by a sight you wished you hadn’t seen.

The first person you saw was Matt, white icing all over his red shirt and arms, and Kristy laughing next to him, using a finger to swipe some up and put it in her mouth. Next were the four Simmons children, each with varying amounts and colors of icing and sprinkles all over them. Then you saw Will, who for some reason had a chunk of cookie in his hair, and Michael on his shoulders. JJ was behind them, grabbing Michael’s hands and trying to wipe all the stickiness he had accumulated off of them.

Next was Rossi, who had an unmistakable drop of red icing on the arm of his Italian silk shirt. If he was a cartoon character, he would’ve had steam coming out of his ears. Garcia and Luke were next to him, each looking mortified and blaming the other. Garcia was smacking his arm lightly and Luke was shielding his face.

Then your eyes found the person you always looked for when you entered a room, and Spencer looked the worst of them all. His fluffy hair was matted down in places with green icing, cookie crumbs all over his cheeks and stuck in his scruff. His sweater was once cream colored, but now it was a mixture of green, purple, black, and gray. His hands were covered in icing and sprinkles and he was spinning Henry around in a circle.

You stood there and admired the scene in front of you for a moment, before Tara cleared her throat. 

“What is going on here?”

Everyone stopped, and immediately Henry spoke, “He did it!”

He pointed straight at Spencer, who put his hands up, “Me? What’d I do?”

“Uncle Spencer started a food fight!”

“No, I think it was Garcia,” Rossi said and the room fell into a roar of laughter; Tara and Emily eager to get in on the fun and dip their own hands into some icing.

You admired them all one more time, rubbing your belly softly, before also diving head first into a mess of sprinkles and ghost shaped cookies.

This was your family, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fic #spencer x you #spencer #dr spencer reid #cm #criminal minds #cm fic #criminal minds fic #matthew gray gubler

[msotherworldly]

A Wizard’s Cure

Title: A Wizard’s Cure

Fiction Type: Original Fiction

Warnings: Drug mentions, minor swearing

Prompt: “I’ve waited for this.”

“I’ve waited for this.” I tore the wrapping aside. Shimmery paper piled around me. Beneath it all, there was a cardboard box. I shook it. The weight was right. I shook it again. The sound was right. Thinking of all the latest games I’d play, I ripped the box open. At first, I saw the PlayStation as expected. Then I saw the jade tablet, and frowned as I took it out. Was this a joke?

“Uh...thanks.” I turned the tablet over. Writing ran over it, but the letters weren’t any I recognized. “What is this?”

Mom and Dad exchanged a glance.

“You’re sixteen now,” Mom said. “Your powers should be acting up.”

I snorted. “Very funny.”

“I’ve waited for this,” Dad said. When he said it, he sounded as I had—like he was anticipating something.

“Seriously, what’s the joke?”

“It’s not a joke!” Mom’s eyes flashed. “You have been raised in an ordinary suburbia. But you are not ordinary. None of us are! We couldn’t tell you until you were ready.”

“What, I’m a wizard?”

“Something like that.” Dad’s moustache quivered. “Don’t get too excited. You’ll be lucky if you can light so much as a candle within a year.”

“So there’s no PlayStation?”

Dad reddened. “PlayStation? I’ve just told you you’re gifted, and you’re worried about a damn game console?”

“Rory.” Mom placed a hand on his arm. She met my gaze. “He doesn’t believe us.”

“I don’t think he-”

“But you must remember when your parents told you!” She laughed. Mom had always been “Bohemian Goth,” draped in long black hair, long black skirts, long black shawls, and long black necklaces. That didn’t make her a-

“You’re both magical? Oh, sure. Come on. If you were mages or whatever, I would have seen it! You can’t hide magic!”

“It was subtle magic.” Mom shrugged. “I’d pull out the candle lighter, and then snap my fingers when you weren’t looking. I’d renew the milk so it didn’t spoil. I’d make our garden bloom longer. Of course, you must have noticed how old Daisy is.”

“Lots of cats make it to twenty one.” I set the jade on the coffee table. “That’s not magic. She’s healthy!”

“She doesn’t have any grey hair!” Dad shook his head. “You really never suspected? By the time I was ten, I thought something was up!”

“Yeah.” I snickered. “But you’re a nerd. Your room is still papered over with Tolkien quotes.”

“Hm, well, sure. But that’s not the point!” Dad slumped forward. He studied his knees, drumming his fingers on them. He glanced up, and I grimaced. He exchanged a glance with Mom; she put a hand on his arm. He nodded. “Well, I guess we were pretty careful.”

I looked between them. “Show me.”

“I’ve been meaning to paint the wall.” Smiling, Mom circled the room. She held up her hands and sang. Golden light bloomed from her fingers. Like mist, it drifted over to the walls; expanding and glowing, it covered the green. When the light drew back, the walls were purple.

“Halloween colours.” Dad rolled his eyes. “You’ll remember when they were orange?”

“You changed them when I had that sleep over. I remember.” I frowned. “I did remember thinking it was strange, how fast you’d managed to paint them. And then, when there was no new paint smell...”

“That’s what we forgot!” Mom smacked a hand to her forehead. “Rory was insisting we’d forgotten a small detail, but neither of us could think what it was! Oh well. We can remember it now.”

Mom performed a second spell. When the light drew away from the walls, they left a scent in the air of new paint.

“What happens if a kid finds out early?”

“They get their memory wiped of course.” Dad grinned. “But we never had to do that with you. Never!”

“Most parents have to do it two or three times. But then, you were never like other kids. Not as nosy, or curious. When you said you were going to bed, you meant it.”

“You mean I was a nerd.” I chuckled. “Like Dad.”

“Nah, I was a nerd. But I was a troublemaker. My friends and I used to swap marijuana in the locker rooms after gym. Then we’d sneak out, and Lenny would snatch a bottle of vodka from his dad’s locker. Lenny’s dad was a drunk. Had dozens of bottles. And we took dozens. He never missed ‘em!”

Mom’s brows knitted together. “Don’t tell him that!”

“Then there was the incident with the mushrooms in the grocery store!”

“Rory, stop.” Mom blushed. “He has to prove himself, you see. He’s been dying to show you spells early, just so he could prove what a great wizard he is!”

“Me?” Dad’s voice was too innocent. “Nah, I just use it to fix the car. You might have noticed we never had to take it in for repairs! And it’s still got that new car smell. Drives your mother crazy, but I enjoy the smell of freshly upholstered leather.”

Mom sighed.

I chuckled. “You guys are weirdos. Even without the magic thing. Or are all mages...eccentric?”

“Most of ‘em are nut bars.” Dad ran a hand through his hair. “I could tell you about Mrs. Snider. She used to shave herself bald and dance under the moonlight naked.”

“That old lady who comes over with all the tattoos? She’s a witch too?”

“That’s the one. The Naked Dances are considered outdated now, but I walked in on her doing-”

“Rory.” Mom shook her head. “No.”

“Another time.” Dad winked. Mom muttered something under her breath. Dad pointed to my tablet. “It’s not a PlayStation. But it will act as a...circuit for your power.”

“The word you’re looking for is ‘conduit,’ dear.”

“That’s what I said! It boosts magical abilities. Makes spells more powerful. And you can draw power from it too, so you don’t tire out so much.”

“What can magic do? Can we be immortal?”

“That’s very advanced magic.”

“You made Daisy stay young.”

“Daisy will still die someday. I just prolonged her life. Her lifespan is that of a human. But she will age. Very gradually.”

“But it’s possible.” I looked between them. My heart sped up. “And my illness-”

“Yes, it’s possible. You may even be able to slow the growth. But we’re not Masters. Very few wizards are. You’d need someone like Merlin to cure you.”

“Or I could become like Merlin.” I squared my shoulders. “I could cure myself.”

Mom and Dad bowed their heads. Mom opened her mouth, but Dad shook his head. She took his arm. When she leaned into him, her eyes closed. After a few minutes, she left. I heard the door to her bedroom close; that was never a good sign.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. For your sake. I never wanted to give you false hope.”

“But I could be a great wizard someday!”

“You have as much hope of being a great wizard as the average person does of becoming an astronaut, a hockey player, or a famous actor! It’s not impossible, but the chance is so rare!”

“I have to try.”

“I suppose you do. But don’t let her know how hard. She was scared this would happen.”

“I don’t want to die, Dad. Not just...not now. But never. There’s too much I want to do.”

“I’ll be happy if I make it into my seventies.” Dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Tomorrow, we’ll start your lessons.”

“I don’t have to go to a special school, do I?”

“Oh, no. That’s just a trope. You’ll be learning from us. And if you’re exceptional...well, there is a college which takes in the most skilled, but they only take five students a year. Students who graduate are Masters.”

“And none of them could heal me?”

“They will if you have two million dollars to offer them.”

“What?”

“Most don’t want to be doctors. They set high prices so people will leave them alone. Think about it. They would be barraged with orders. And then they’d never be able to use their abilities for anything else.”

“But maybe, if I was a Master too, they’d want to help out a colleague.”

“Forget tomorrow.” Dad smirked. “We’ll begin training today.”

#magic #wizards #wizard #fictober21 #fictober #original fiction #fantasy writer #short story #creative writing

[they-write-once-in-a-blue-moon]

The Muggle Witch

Sirius Black x Reader Fluff

Words: 2297

Warnings: Halloween, shitty friends, a pov change? female pronouns Bit of Slytherin hate, I don’t hate you guys!

A/N: A Halloween fic! It’s not Halloween? Welp better late than never! anyway, hope you enjoy!

______________________________________________________________

-Sirius had insisted that the boys go trick or treating in the muggle town closest to James’s house, he’d only ever heard of it but never had the chance to do it, this would be the first holiday he hasn’t had to stay at Hogwarts or at his old house. That was the main reason the boys agreed to go. And to say Sirius was ecstatic would be an understatement.

It was Friday night, the night before Halloween. After a day of classic marauders shenanigans they started to get their costumes together. It did take them a bit to figure out what they would or could go as, they all agreed that the majority of the magical creatures are a big no, particularly werewolves.

James went as a mummy, Peter went as a pirate. Remus joked about going as himself but ended up going with “Where’s Wally” and Sirius was going as a wizard, just for the irony.

After a night of no sleep from both excitement and Peter’s snoring it was finally Halloween, Sirius couldn’t sit still, it was honestly quite adorable.

They spent the day decorating the house, scaring each other, and Mr Potter got them all pumpkins to carve (Remus thought it was a bad idea to give the marauders sharp objects but he went with it)

And then, the time came, about 9pm they got dressed and ventured to the town, all very excited for different reasons

- James was mostly happy that he got to take his honorary brother trick or treating fo the first time - Sirius was probably the most excited, he looked like a ‘puppy on steroids’ as Remus put it - Remus was just happy it wasn’t a full moon, and he and Peter had a deal that Peter would give Remus all his chocolate for exchange of his candy - And that was all peter was excited for, was free candy

After going around the block getting enough candy to give a giant diabetes, they ran back to the Potter's house and dropped their candy off, James had spotted a small Halloween fair and wanted to check it out.

Wandering around they find a haunted house, and think “hell yes” James and Remus go and get tickets for it while Sirius and Peter wait near the entrance, Peter is to entranced in the house to notice Sirius leave around the corner, he heard yelling and he wanted to check it out

Turning the corner he finds a group of friends, well they don’t look like good friends.

There’s about six of them, one of them, who’s wearing a wizard custom like his, is standing on one side, looking scared and the other five on the other.

“I really don’t wanna go, you guys go in and I’ll wait here” She has her hands crossed over her chest and holding her shoulders

“You such a baby, honestly just go home if you’re not going to have fun with us, it’s Halloween you're meant to be getting scared” The group walk off, leaving her by herself, even from his distance he can see the shimmer of tears forming under her eyes.  ‘I can’t leave her like that’ 

“Hey, you ok there?” he asks gently with a smile She jumps slightly wiping her eyes “Oh yeah I’m ok!” she smiles back looking at the line to go into the house where all her friends are laughing together

“Why’d they leave you alone?” He’s frowning looking at them ‘Bet they’d be slytherins if they weren't muggles’

“Oh, I just didn’t want to go in the house, I’m a bit of a scardy cat, thanks for coming over, I’m just gonna go home. Happy Halloween!” she turns to leave but Sirius catches her arm, making her jump, again.

“Why don’t you come with me and my mates?” He motions his head to the boys, laughing and having fun

“Oh, uh thanks, but it’s ok, I don’t want to intrude on your friends, you don’t even know me. Plus I’m still terrified of this building” The pair of them jump as someone screams inside the house.

Once he’s calmed down he looks down at his hand, the mystery girl had grabbed his hand

“Uh, I’m so sorry!” She snatches her hand “Uh, thanks for talking with me” she gives a weak smile

“Nope, you’re coming with me and my friends, can’t leave a pretty witch alone, you can hold my hand” 

She chuckles at the comment on her costume, even though she still looks hesitant, but Sirius can tell that she’s going to say yes “Plus Imagine your ‘friends’ faces when you come out of the haunted house with two cute guys” he winks

“There’s four of you?”

“Well, I’m not cute, I’m hot, and then there’s Peter” “I-” she sighs shaking her head “I guess it would be fun to see their faces”

“That’a girl! Come on, I’ll introduce you to the boys...uh, wait what’s your name?”

“Oh, I’m Y/n”

*Your Pov*

Sirius lead you over to the other marauders “Guys this is Y/n, Y/n this is James, Remus, Peter and my name is Sirius” The boys give out a chorus of greetings “Lovely Y/n is going to be joining us, as payback to her shitty friends”

“Sure it’s not just cause she’s pretty?” James nudges Sirius, making the other boys laugh “That’s more of a bonus” He winks at you making your cheeks heat up.

“I’ll be right back, gonna get a ticket, you sure it’s ok I come with you?” They all call out yes! At once As you walk of the James, Peter and Remus turn to Sirius  “Sirius, you can’t date her, one she’s a muggle and we go back to school soon and you’ll never see her again” Remus raises his eyebrows “You’ll end up hurting her”

“Well! If you had given me a chance to explain why I invited her, heard her friends yelling at her for not wanting to go into the house and she was ‘bout to cry, if she went to Hogwarts, we’d do the same in a heartbeat, why not make someone feel better for hour?”

Looking at Sirius they could tell he was sincere about that, it wasn’t that she was pretty, it was cause he didn’t want you to feel alone.

Before someone got a chance to say anything, you had come back to the group.

“Ready to go!” James called heading over to the line, the boys all being pumped up made you actually happy that you were going with them, still pretty terrified, but you felt at ease with these guys.

They told you all about their school though strangely worded, they kept staring eachother down when they said some things, like Peter had said “Slughorn took our wands for that one” and all of them jumped on him and Remus hit him on the back of this head, their explanation was something about a inside joke at their school.

The joy of being with them stopped as everyone gave the woman their tickets, she was dressed up as some kind of ghost maybe. Sirius noticed you were hugging yourself again as they went into the introduction room to say the rules, blah blah don’t touch things blah blah.

Sirius whispered in your ear “Want to hold my hand?” he held out his hand. You looked at it for a moment before there was a scream, making you grab it straight away.

“Right this way, and don’t worry they don’t bite” then she muttered just loud enough that we would hear it “too hard”

Going through the house, it was a lot bigger than it looked, probably had a part that wasn’t in the house, just couldn’t see it from the front.

There was some kind of story, you weren't paying that much attention to it, you were too busy trying to to pass out or break Sirius’s hand from holding it. 

There was a section where there was a fake full moon and as you went though a wolf howl, the boys all tensed and Remus’s eye were wide, he snapped his hand to his mouth and left that part as fast as he could.

James going up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and whispering something to him. Remus just nodded and took a second to breathe, Peter was now in front of the group.

Seeming like he was hating life.

After what seemed like days they made it to the end, the whole group sprinted out and stood outside bent over breathing hard before looking at eachother and laughing.

“I may have hated every second of that, but it was pretty fun” You smiled at the boys “Can we go get food?” Peter practically pleaded. “Of course you want food Wormy '' James laughed helping him up.

As the group of new friends made their way to the small food truck, Sirius was still holding your hand. “If you want you can let go of my hand” you chuckled squeezing it

“What if I don’t want to?” He winks making your cheeks heat up again  “Plus, I see a particular group of tossers looking at the most beautiful people in this whole fair holding hands”

Discreetly looking over your shoulder, turns out your friends were watching the five of you walking off to get food together, they all whispered before getting up and coming over to you and Sirius.

“There you are Y/n! We were looking for you!” Before you had the chance to say anything you felt someone lean their arm on your shoulder, it was James.

“Well clearly not, since you all have empty food packets” He smirks “Oh babes, Remus found food, would you like to join us?” He did an obnoxious bow putting his hand out.

“Or you could come sit with us, your friends not some random boys you’ve known for like a hour” 

“Uh, I’d love to join you boys, considering I’ve been your ‘friend’ for a few days since we live in the same apartment, and you only invited me cause your parents forced you.” You raise your eyebrows “Plus, I’m not even going to your school, see you next holidays!” smiling you turned to head over to Remus and Peter. James and Sirius were grinning ear to ear. 

Before going after you Sirius says to the group “You guys remind me of some kids at our school, don’t ya think Prongs?” James picking up on who he’s talking about.

“Ah yes, the ones who bully first years into doing their homework? I see what you mean Padfoot” “Well good day to you, be glad your muggles, or I would have hexed you into the forbidden forest” James winks “Tar Tar!!” Sirius calls as they turn and walk away

“Definitely Slytherins”

“Agreed”

You and the marauders ended up hanging out almost everyday till they had to leave to go back to school.

“Urg it’s the last day till we have to go back to school” Sirius complained as the group sat together in a park “I’m so stressed, I’m going to a new school”

“Our first day was terrifying, the grounds are huge, we still get lost sometimes with how the stairs change- uh have to get changed all the time cause they break” Peter says stress eating some candy “Nice save” Remus mutters rolling his eyes

“Uh guys we gotta go pack, hope to see you again sometime Y/n!” James says hugging you The boys all say varius goodbyes with hugs, as the boys start to walk off, Sirius jogs back to you and hugs you one more time.

“Till we meet again” he smiles holding your hand, you squeeze his hand, acting on impulse you kiss him quick before turning and starting to walk home 

“Till we meet again!”

His cheeks heat up before running after the boys “GUYS! HOLY CRAP! SHE KISSED ME! WOO!” He cheered.

***

The train ride back the boys told Lily about Halloween and all of the things they did.

Entering the great hall for the first feast, Dumbledore makes his first welcomes etc, Sirius isn’t really paying attention, he’s heard in like a million times, but his ears prick up upon hearing Dumbledore say,

“We have a new student starting today, she would have started next year, but plans changed, so, Professor Mcgonagall please bring out the sorting hat, for a second time this year. Everyone give a warm welcome to our new student Y/n Y/ln!”

You walk up to the front, your eyes on the ground, not a big fan of a hall of people you don’t know clapping and staring at you. If you had looked up you would have seen the marauders all wide eyed with dropped jaws.

“You guys already swooning over her? She just walked in!” Lily whisper yells at them, getting shushed by all of them. 

You sit up at the stool and only after a short time the hat yelled “GRYFFINDOR!” the table erupts in the cheers, the boys all standing up, you look up to see who the hell stood up for that. Your eyes instantly go wide and you have a huge smile.

“You're kidding me!” You yell hugging Sirius and Remus who was next to him, sitting beside  Sirius “I can’t believe you guys are wizards! let alone are going to Hogwarts, in my year”

“Of all the things I’ve seen, this is the weirdest thing, and I’ve seen some weird shit” James jokes After a bit of talking and explaining everything Sirius takes your hand and kisses it. 

“We did meet again” “We did”

“Is this the girl?” Lily leans over to James “Yep”

#Harry potter #hp #sirius black #sirius #sirius x reader #sirius x reader imagine #sirius x reader one shot #sirius black imagine #sirius black fanfiction #sirius black one shot #sirius black blurb #sirius black drabble #sirius black x reader #sirius black x reader fanfiction #sirius black x reader one shot #sirius black x reader imagine

[kilesplaysthings]

Halloween in Cradle!

Let’s imagine Halloween is a holiday that was introduced in Cradle by the first Alice and the people decide to let celebrations coincide with the harvest festivals like the “Land of Reason” does. How would "Alice” spend it with the boys?

(first time doing an IkeRev thing! some characters’ stuff will be shorter since I don’t know much about them yet! Put in a Read More since it’s LONG lol)

Lancelot: 

It’s become a tradition that the rich and elite of Cradle attend an evening Halloween masquerade ball. The ball is only lit by candlelight and everyone dresses in black for an added spooky elegance. Red wine is served and haunting, but elegant music is played for dancing

Lancelot, of course, attends and invites you to be his partner. It’s the first and only time you’ll see him in black (you know, being that he’s the King of the Red Army) and he looks absolutely regal in his black suit, cloak and full mask with gold trim.

As the two of you dance and enjoy the evening, he explains the traditions of this party. It seems that the Central Quarter’s ballroom is, in fact, haunted by the ghost of a woman in white. She died a tragic death on Halloween night; people found her amidst the dancing, sprawled at the foot of the grand staircase, swathed in her pure white dress. As such, everyone who attends dresses in black to be sure that they can spot her before someone is “spirited away.” Red wine is served because it was her favorite drink and her favorite music is played to let her know she is welcome.

As he tells you this and the two of you continue to spin around, you think you catch a glimpse of white out of the corner of your eye. Lancelot squeezes your hand at the look of apprehension in your eyes and smiles at you, pulling you closer.

“Don’t worry,” he whispers. “I’ll make sure no ghost spirits you away tonight.”

Ray: 

Halloween for Ray is busy just like any other day, but he’s always willing to help decorate the barracks to make them spooky! 

Both armies like to have fun with the public and open parts of the barracks up for visitors for a fun spooky evening with games and fun haunts.

Insists on plenty of black cats everywhere. 

Black cats are not bad luck. They’re good luck and ensure that Halloween will be fun and safe! (that’s the legend he’s determined to spread). Is not ashamed to wear black cat ears for the night either lol

He’s the head of security for the autumn and Halloween festivals that happen in the neutral Central quarter’s town square and the two of you walk around together having fun as he oversees the safety of everyone.

After the fun is over and the night is winding down, he’s happy to cuddle with you by the fire with a cup of warm apple cider - most likely with a black cat or two snuggled on your laps.

Jonah:

Not much of a Halloween person, tbh thinks it’s too childish

thinks the sweets are too much of Edgar’s type, not his own

the morning of, however, he invites you to a nearby café for brunch to show what delicious autumn delicacies they have

is happy to tell you about the different things he and Luka would get up to on Halloween when they were kids.

the two of you laugh over the stories he tells when he “defended” little Luka from a person dressed up in a ghost costume when they went guising as kids. Won’t admit that he ever got scared, (though he did)

Sirius:

This time of year is one of his favorites, because it means lots of autumnal baked goods that he can make!

Pumpkin pies, pumpkin cake rolls, pumpkin doughnuts, apple pies, apple crisp, pumpkin apple crisp! You name it, he’ll bake it. 

It’s his baked goods that are always around for any harvest or Halloween festival

While he’s cool with Halloween, he does prefer the harvest aspect of he month more, mainly because he likes autumn decorations

Will invite you to help carve pumpkins with him. Or rake leaves. He’s actually quite good at carving and makes some fantastic faces and designs! And expect some fun leaf shenanigans with Chutney involved too

the two of you like take a walk together on the nearby trails to admire the beautiful autumn colors before the harvest dinner.

Edgar:

To your surprise, he quite likes Halloween

Mainly because he gets to scare and prank people and no one can judge him for it this time. Also CANDY

You can bet this guy has TONS of candy everywhere

Is ready to go out guising like all the kids do for the candy, even though Jonah keeps berating him for being too old

“You don’t even have a costume!!!” “I do so have a costume. I’m going as a Red Army soldier.”

Can also carve pumpkins quite well. makes some scary faces on them

Since he’s forbidden to go guising, takes the next best thing, which is to take you around the Halloween festival in search of treats to buy and win

Is a pro at all the games. Takes GREAT pleasure in the dunking booth, and is a great shot at it

“Here, Alice. I won this special candy just for you. Don’t eat it just yet. Let’s wait till we’re alone. Then we can share them, together~”

Luka: 

Like his brother, is just meh about Halloween

But he enjoys the harvest festivals

Invites Alice to join him in going to one that’s on a farm just outside of the city. Together the two of you have a blast! Going on hayrides, looking at the different pumpkins in the pumpkin patch - and picking some out for later Halloween decorations -  as well as picking out the juiciest apples for later baking and sampling some delicious apple cider

You pick out matching scarves with him at the farm’s shop that sells hand-knitted clothing perfect for fall days like this one and wear them for the rest of the day

You can be sure that harvest time means some delicious food made by Luka, as he gets along with the farmers who offer him their best produce

The nights are colder, so he makes sure he warms up a cup of tea for you before you both snuggle down together for bed.

“Going to the farm with you was so much fun. Let’s make it a tradition to go together every year!”

Kyle: 

This time of year, our boy is on the lookout for colds. He’s prepared for visitors coming far and wide seeking treatments for them and has his office well stocked with medicine and herbs to help treat coughs and sore throats

He can get into the Halloween spirit too and decorates his office with a sort of “mad doctor” vibe to it. hOw OrIginAL

You can be sure he offers every kid that comes to him a Halloween treat when they leave his office (he’s a doctor, not a dentist lol)

basically Halloween is a chill day for him with just a flavor of spookiness. 

likes to chill at Dalim’s bar in the evening for a quieter Halloween night

Fenrir:

This boy does NOT do Halloween!!

He’ll do anything to avoid celebrating it. Too busy with work! Gotta train! Has guard duty at the barracks! He has DESK WORK to take care of! 

The other officers admittedly like to prank him this time of year because of it and it never fails to work

He’s touched when your make him his favorite meal to comfort him after a prank got him good

he tells you that his dislike of the holiday and his fear of ghosts both started when he was kid. his family threw a big Halloween party one night and late in the evening, when everyone was sitting together telling ghost stories, there was a banging in one of the rooms upstairs and the fire went out suddenly, leaving them all in the dark. People said it was a ghost coming to visit them. for a boy of only six, he said that night stuck with him for years and he still remembers how scared he was.

you’re touched by this rare moment of vulnerability from him and promise that from now on, each year, you’ll have your own “un-Halloween” celebration together

Zero:

He likes the idea of guising but knows he’s too old for it

Instead, he enjoys participating in the Central Quarter’s Halloween festival

He helps the local candy maker in his booth and the two of them make candy for people to buy during the festival

is not above dressing to get in the spirit of the night

Makes you your own special candy when you visit him in the booth

you share a candy apple together when he gets time off and can walk around the festival with you

Seth:

Ultimate Halloween prankster of the Black Army. 

Has been the chief scarer of Fenrir but never goes too overboard -just enough

Halloween is in part about dressing up in costume, so you can be sure he’ll want to dress Alice up in every princess, witch or vampiress costume he can get his hands on

matching costumes is a win-win situation for him. his favorite is vampire and vampire bride. will get into character for it too

“careful Alice, I just might bite that pretty neck of yours if you keep acting so adorably~”

Loki: 

Will 100% want to go guising with you

dresses up in a black hoodie with cat ears. “Look! I’m a black cat!”

the two of you hop around the villages together, you in a white sheet as a ghost, and him as a black cat, carrying sacks to get candy

back at the house, the two of you will sort out your booty together and trade treats, offering some to Harr if he wants any.

the night will end with bobbing for apples, some spooky games and tales and Harr admonishing you both not to eat too much candy before bed

you both may or may not decide to play a fun, innocent prank on Harr later on in the night

Harr: 

For Halloween, you and Harr decide to take it easy. Maybe eat a big dinner with some celebratory cake and play some games together at the house

but then Loki comes up with a daring idea: late night exploring in the Old Ruins that lie deep in the Forbidden Forest

the idea is kinda scary, but also thrilling! Plus, Loki reasons, they’ll be with Harr, so there won’t be any danger

Harr (secretly pleased that he’s trusted so much) finally agrees.

The Old Ruins are rumored to be haunted, Loki says, as the three of you creep in. The door makes a painfully loud creaking noise as he tugs it open

Armed with a lamp fueled by magic crystals, Harr leads the way in as the other two huddle around him. the building is dark, decrepit, and quite dangerous in some places as the walls and upper floors are caving in.

“We shouldn’t stay here too long,” Harr warns, worried about the instability of the place. A sound is heard in a nearby room adjacent to the foyer.

“Let’s check it out!” Loki suggests and he heads in the direction of the noise.

You don’t find anything but continue to hear noises, noises that seem to be coming from the upper floors...

After a while of exploring, Harr suddenly decides to put his foot down. “Let’s go. Now.” He tells you.

You both don’t argue against the tone in his voice and head back to the house, Loki excitedly talking about their adventure. As he does, Harr takes your hand and holds it tightly.

“I’m sorry we had to leave so suddenly, but while you both were looking around, I saw someone watching us from above on the third floor. The last thing I ever want is putting you in harm’s way. Stay with me tonight so I know you’re safe.”

Blanc:

He can remember when the first Alice introduced Halloween to Cradle. In fact, he helped in forming the traditions of the holiday to what they are today.

He organizes and is in charge of the Halloween festival alongside with Dean. He also likes to host a costume party in the Garden, free for anyone who wants to attend

He dresses up as a white rabbit knight hOW OrIginAL

Cliched costume aside, he looks cute so it’s all good

You are his special guest and he ensures that your first dance of the night is with him 

Oliver:

His favorite part about this holiday is the costumes

He makes lots of costumes and items for kids who want a super cool look for Halloween

in his kid form, he reluctantly agrees to an early afternoon of guising with you, but insists on wearing a mask he made for himself so no one knows it’s him

don’t be surprised if he pulls some pranks on you throughout the day to get back at you for making him do that in his kid form

never goes to Blanc’s costume party. prefers to join Kyle at Dalim’s bar instead for a more laid back celebration

Dean: 

Teams up with Blanc in organizing the Halloween festival

Is a huge folklorist and can tell you all sorts of weird and creepy stories about Cradle’s history

owns a whole library about it, actually

being a teacher, he does fun things throughout the day for his students to get them in the Halloween spirit

his students put on a play for the Halloween festival that is usually about some Cradle folklore

He’s a good storyteller, so be prepared with a blanket and some hot cocoa when you both sit by a fire and share ghost stories

Dalim/Dum:

Halloween or not, the bar’s gonna be running. Doesn’t mean he can’t get in the spirit of things, though

decorates the place with candles and fog and all

keeps things quiet for those who want a calmer holiday

concocts special drinks for the occasion. Kyle’s favorite is the White Lady, based on the ghost that haunts Central Quarter’s ballroom

Will keep visitors entertained with weird and creepy stories that he’s heard from customers over the years

Mousse: 

Halloween is just another day for him

Candy is whatever. He’d rather be given cheese. Prefers harvest festivals since there is cheese in abundance.

has to attend the different public gatherings as a Cradle official

ghosts don’t scare him. doesn’t believe any of the legends to be true

likes to drink warm cider and will fall asleep in front of the fire if he’s at a party

#ikerev #ikemen revolution #ikemen kakumei #halloween headcanons! #ikerev lancelot #ikerev kyle #ikerev ray #ikerev sirius #ikerev loki #ikerev luka #ikerev seth #ikerev mousse #ikerev dean #ikerev dalim #ikerev dum #ikerev fenrir #ikerev jonah #ikerev blanc #ikerev oliver #ikerev harr #ikerev zero #ikerev edgar #writings #writing

[cheri-translates]

[CN] 100 Days - Gavin (Day 51 - 100)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for e-mails which have not been released in English servers! 🍒

What’s the 100 Days Companionship Event?

Day 1 - 3: here

Day 4 - 30: here

Day 31 - 50: here

Day 51

I watched the video of the “police cat” you sent me. Next time, we can have a cat and a dog. Training them together would be pretty nice.

Day 52

I’ve completed the riddle game you recommended. Those people who left comments saying it was difficult are at a certain level.

Day 53

The rice cooker cake you made is very delicious. I’m filled with veneration for my rice cooker - I’ve watched it since it was small.

Day 54

I happened to meet the little kid we sent home the last time. She asked why the Pretty Sister wasn’t around. So is the Pretty Sister resting well?

Day 55

Tried making curry. I’ve tasted it, and it’s not bad. Next time, teach me something else.

Day 56

I bought you milk tea, and hope your week can be a little sweeter.

Day 57

Eli said that the picture I’m using as my phone wallpaper would have looked even better if the angle was tilted slightly. What does he know? You look pretty no matter what.

Day 58

It does feel different eating ice-cream when the weather is cold. But it isn’t good for your stomach, so I’m confiscating half.

Day 59

If you feel cold, you can put your hand into my pocket anytime.

Day 60

This morning, I realised that the tallest tree in the city had white leaves. When I leaned over to take a look, I saw that they were white frost.

Day 61

The picture you sent me yesterday wasn’t a wolf. It’s a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog - a breed of dog which is very loyal and tame.

Day 62 (Double Ninth)

It’s Yang Festival today, so there may be many people going up the mountain. We can watch the sunset later.

Day 63

When I was tidying the room, I found the champion prize from last year’s STF long-distance race in autumn. It’s a keychain of a running military dog.

Day 64

There’s a shop selling your favourite sugar cakes. I’ll bring it to you after work, and hope it’d still be warm when it reaches your hands.

Day 65

Recently, I changed a new driving playlist. Those songs you recommended - I like them very much.

Day 66

In the movie we watched yesterday, I keep thinking that werewolves are even more dashing and decisive than vampires.

Day 67

My phone is spoilt. It’s a good thing I can memorise your e-mail, and didn’t miss the sign-in.

Day 68 (Halloween)

Title: Selecting a jack-o’lantern

There are many types of jack-o’-lanterns in the shop today, and I don’t know which one you like. If you’re not busy, want to take a look together in the afternoon?

Day 69

You mentioned wanting to go fishing the last time. I’ve bought a full set of fishing gear, and will wait till you have time.

Day 70

It’s too cooling to eat watermelons during this season. I bought a hami melon and have placed it in the fridge. Remember to eat it.

Day 71

After the door locked, I realised that I didn’t bring my keys. I never thought that I’d have my forgetful moments too. It’s a good thing the windows weren’t locked.

Day 72

I’ve familiarised myself with the technique of cutting bunny apple slices. Next time, I’ll show it to you.

Day 73

I left home early today, and the sky wasn’t bright yet. Venus looked as though it was within reach.

Day 74

Found a puppy stuffed toy while tidying up, and thought about how it’s been a very long time since we last went to the claw machine together.

Day 75

I know that you’re afraid of the cold, so I bought a pair of gloves. You can wear them when riding on Sparky. It’s a matching set with mine.

Day 76

While watching the German Shepherd in the team undergoing training, I suddenly felt that its life is very worth respecting. Once it decides on a person, it will give its all.

Day 77

Turns out making sandwiches at home is pretty easy. If you want to eat them next time, there’s no need to buy them from the supermarket anymore.

Day 78

There’s renovation going on upstairs, and it’s really noisy. I thought about how you also mentioned that your neighbour does renovation works whenever you’re about to take a nap.

Day 79 (Single’s Day)

Eli and the guys said they didn’t want to see me hovering around in STF today. How baffling. So, I’m here to see you.

Day 80

The colleague who got married last month returned from his honeymoon with some local specialties. I think they aren’t bad, so I left you a share.

Day 81

At this time every year, you’d usually say that it’s cold. But winter this year seems to have a higher temperature.

Day 82

The weather is really good today, and it’s suitable for airing quilts. You mentioned liking the scent of sunlight on quilts.

Day 83

I saw you mentioning on Moments that it’s the final episode of your favourite television drama. I’ve bought snacks, and will watch it together with you.

Day 84

You cried for a really long time after watching the ending yesterday. Are your eyes still swollen? I asked Minor to put some eye patches on your desk. Remember to use them later.

Day 85

I’ve heard of the trust game you mentioned. I can close my eyes and let you lead me, no matter how far it is.

Day 86

I took Sparky Jr. along with me on duty today. It still can’t fly as high as I can.

[Note] In CN, “Sparky Jr.” is called 小小黑 (“xiao xiao hei”), which translates directly to “Little Little Black”!

Day 87

You mentioned that the cafe you often visited has closed down. I’ll bring you to an even better one. Everything can change, but when it comes to being by your side, that won’t change.

Day 88

Next time, don’t lift heavy parcels at the collection point by yourself. Just call me.

Day 89

I was a little tired yesterday so I fell asleep and didn’t reply to your messages in time. You must have been worried from waiting.

Day 90

It’s Minor Snow today, but it isn’t snowing.

[Trivia] “Minor Snow” (小雪 - “xiao xue”) refers to the 20th solar term spanning from 22nd November to 6th December!

Day 91

The bureau received a silk banner today. Eli and the others insisted that I take a group photo. If they want to show it to you next time, you mustn’t look.

Day 92

I’ve set your picture as the background of my new phone. This way, I’ll be able to see you once I pick my phone up.

Day 93

You mentioned having lower back pains recently. I’ve ordered a massage chair for you.

Day 94

On Thanksgiving Day, the person I wish to thank most is you.

Day 95

If it were possible, I’d wish that signing in would never end.

Day 96

Minor wants to invite us to his cousins’ shop to play a board game. I don’t really know how to play it. There are werewolves, civilians, and a priest. Now, we’re just missing a witch.

Day 97

The tangerines you bought the last time are very sweet. If chilled for a while, they’ll be even more delicious.

Day 98

Actually, there’s no need to ask me. No matter what you want to do or where you want to go, I’ll accompany you.

Day 99

Heard a song we listened to together along the street, and couldn’t help but pause and listen for a while.

Day 100

Without realising it, it’s already the last day. But I’ll continue accompanying you.

-

Not enough Gavin sweetness? A fan on Weibo created texts and Moments based on some of his e-mails, which I’ve translated: here

[riotatthemovies]

Halloween sitcom specials.

When the Halloween season comes rolling in I like most people start to watch more horror movies (maybe even more than I usually do). But near Halloween the horror I watch needs to have a childish innocence to it. Memories of Halloween with candy and costumes and telling each other innocent ghosts stores around a fire to spook each other. That's what Halloween is for me, memories of how as a child monsters and ghosts were just too damn cool. So the horror films I choose are more monster based often with a folklore campfire tales twists. However I also love flashing back to the cheesiest childhood memories of tv at the time. Everyone loves the better episode of Simpsons Treehouse of horror. The VHS collecting geeks I talk to often post articles about the infamous Halloween make up tips tapes and safety PSA tapes of the 80s. 

For your retro entertainment I bring you a list of my 10 favorite sitcom and kids show Halloween episodes of my youth. I say my favorite not the best because I'm sure if I said the best I'll get a msg saying I'm wrong. Also I'm sure some kids gonna tell me of a that's so Raven episode and I'm an old so I never watched that. Also people always talk about the Rosanne Halloween episodes so I will let everyone else talk about those. Also note there was never a Golden girls Halloween special and if there was there is no doubt that would be the top of my list. So this is in no real order . . .

10: Facts of Life Season 5 episode The Halloween Show

Natalie is making a home movie and SPOILER tricks all the girls into believing their den mother is possessed by a ghost and is turning random people into sausages and feeding them to the group. Yeah seriously that's the point, I mean you don't know its Natalie tricking everyone so she can film a reality horror film until the end but you figure it out. Its completely unbelievable that the group of girls fall for this and legit believe it enough to try and fight their den mother that they have been best friends with for five seasons. The magic of a show being 25 minutes long that the characters have to jump to huge assumptions and get over it and a chuckle pretty quick too.

9: Webster Season 4 episode Witchbusters

Webster has some non Halloween oddly creepy episodes as it was pure 80s kids entertainment. Webster loved wearing Halloween masks and in season 2 he finds a creepy doll in the room of a missing girl that looks like a real person and comes off very Black Christmas/ Psycho. But I love the season 4 episode where Webster is peer pressured into sneaking into an old ladies house on Halloween because everyone thinks she is a witch. When Webster sneaks in his friend chickens out and leaves . Webster then finds one of the old ladies cats and thinks it is his friend who had been turned into the cat by the witch. Like many episodes the issue at had happens because Webster is really dumb. So of course he kidnaps the cat and takes it home because he thinks its his friend. Dumb Webster Dumb. Man I loved that stupid show.

8 .Family Matters season 8 episode STEVIL

Many people seem to remember the Halloween episode where infamous Steve Urkel brings a ventriloquist dummy to the Winslows Halloween party and as as ventriloquist dummies do , it comes to life and tries to kill everyone. Goosebumps meets Family Matters right there. I noticed its been the hip show to talk about this seaspn, probably cause this happened in the 90s.

7. Mr. Belvedere season 3 episode called Halloween

Mr Belvedere is depressed after eye surgery and the youngest kid in the family Wesley gets old Mr Belvedere in an eye patch and brings him out trick or treating which in turn sends him out on a bit of a bender. Also in the episode the daughter wants to wear a sexy maid costume to a party but her dad wont let her. So her older brother wears the maid costume to the party so they can secretly switch costumes there. Just one of many episodes where the older brother Kevin did a drag scene to show off his legs. ALSO in that episode the dad Bob Ueker is asked to join a sort of Shriners group but they end up being a crazy hooded cult. Which is extra funny cause in later episodes you find he did join the Shriner group after all and they never mention them being a cult. In fact the next time you see the cult members they are friends of the family and all go in drag with the oldest son they can go under cover to catch a purse snatcher.. but that's another episode.

6. Alf season 2 episode called Some enchanted evening.

Alf wants to go trick or treating cause well candy of course. The tanners think its too dangerous for Alf to go out even that he insists everyone will think he is just in a costume and not an actual Alien Life form. Eventually a Halloween party is held at the house and Alf meets an old cat lady. Alf loves cats... sorta. Also in the episode is an appearance of Lewis Arquette the dad of the all those wacky Arquette kids.

Seeing the costumes that appear in all these episodes makes one feel like in the 80s and 90s there was a rule that you couldn't have a Halloween party if there was not one devil, one pirate , one French maid, one little bo peep, one scarecrow and one Dracula. Like it was a rule or something.

5. KnightRider Season 3 episode called Halloween Knight

Michael Knight must investigate the visions of a confused woman. They believe she will be the next victim of a murdered in a gorilla suit. In the episode a man wears one of the silver shamrock pumpkin masks from Halloween 3. I did an whole article on this last year. Just another reason for you to go look through the riotatthemoveis archive.

4. Fall Guy season 4 episode called October 31st

Elvira guests stars as her self as she teams up with Lee Majors and the Fall guy team to break a curse and solve a possible murder in an old castle. Guest cameos of John, David and Keith Carradine. Also Lewis Arquette. Elvira would return the next season in an episode called.. wait for it.. October the 32nd... Yep.

3. Night Court season 3 episode called Halloween Too.

Every season of Night Court got a Halloween episode but this one is suiting for the humorous episode title and for Markie Post (who was in the episode of Fall Guy I just mentioned) wearing an amazingly and awkwardly hot witch costume. She shows up in this costume after Judge Stone has just broken up with his girlfriend who he discovers is an actual witch with magical powers as he believed her magic compromised his position on the bench. Guest cameo by Anne Ramsey as another witch. All the Halloween episodes are but I really like in this one when Quan Lee misunderstands the concept of Trick or Treating and thinks you need to threaten people for candy. Also I just needed an excuse to post this picture of Markie Post.

2 . Diff’rent Strokes Season 7 episode called A Haunting we will go. Arnold and his new step brother Sam (yeah that's a thing if you ever watched the last two season of Diff’rent Strokes) peer pressure them selves into sneaking in to an old haunted house. (similar to the Webster episode as poor little Gary Coleman and Emanuel Lewis would always be compared to each other). What makes this episode gold is when Arnold and Sam break into the haunted house they have detailed replica Ghostbusters costumes on, decades before Strangers Things season 2. We also get a door banging , chandelier shaking haunted house , dusty piano and everything if I remember right and then they show us how they did it. Very cool for an 80s kid like me. Also guest stars the amazing John Astin.

Last but not least...

Punky Brewster season 2 episodes Perils of Punky part one and 2. The cartoon series has an episode of the same name but no relation. This two parter is something if you know me you have heard about a lot. Punky and her pals go camping and meet a native shaman who tells them about a haunted cave, so in part 2 what do they do.. go in it of course. Then shit get surreal. Punkys friends get offed one by one by evil spirits then get turned into severed heads, one that flies and one that is stuck in the rock wall. It all ends with Punky having to battle a giant spider with shades of the original IT movie and has to hack it to death with an axe. Ending in the spirit of native girl waving goodbye in the cave that looks just like Punky as her friends magically come back to life as if it was all a dream... or was it. The episode is to be seen to be believed. My second favorite next to the episode where Punky thinks she killed a man at her restaurant but finds out he is just a narcoleptic with a broken hearing aid. COMEDY!!!!!

There are so many more, feel free to msg me and let me know old tv shows that had wild Halloween episodes that you hold dear.

I need some Count Chocula and a reason to watch some more... hmm maybe some boo berry,... oh man, anyone got an Haunted House pasta or Scarieos?

dang.

#halloween #halloween special #halloweentv #sitcoms #80s #80stv #80ssitcom #nightcournt #family matters #punky brewster #knightrider #webster

[elstreem]

All of my Laika films chaarctersx Splatoon crossover art! Now reuploaded in better format. This was such a fun challenge to make, and it really makes me appreciate the beauty of the character designs. I ended up having 3 characters from each film (including Cat and Fish in their respective titles). If I have to pick favorites, it would be Aggie, Neil, Eggs, Winnie and Kubo. I feel like redoing some of these, Coraline especially, but for now this series is complete.

As for my (very lengthy) thoughts about what these characters are like in the Splatoon world, read under the cut. 

Inkling Coraline: -Never, ever call her Caroline. Ever. -Best friends with Wybie. -Hates spiders and button-eye dolls for reasons she won't tell anyone. -Once got disqualified in Turf War after she threw her shoe at an enemy Inkling and called them a "jerk wad." -Most fashion-forward out of all her friends and loves browsing for unusual clothes. -Hates unusual cuisine, however. -Is sometimes followed by a scrawny black cat...but that can't be right, the only mammals left are Judd and Li'l Judd...

Octoling Wybie and Cat:

-A lot of people have grown to expect Cat around Coraline, but not many know that he was being taken care of by Wybie before Coraline. -Cat loves to appear and disappear in the most unexpected of ways, times, and places. -Wybie became friends with Coraline after she moved into an apartment being managed by his grandmother. -Wybie is usually on guard, being an Octoling in a city of Inklings, but he's relaxed a bit now that more Octolings are coming to the surface. -Wybie is best buds with Eggs as well, and thinks that the Box Salmons are really cool too. -Once got into trouble after he and the boys went a little wild driving his bicycle. -Shares a dislike of button-eye dolls with Coraline.

Inkling Paranorman:

-Has a tendency to pause and speak to seemingly  empty air. None of his friends mind (the Laika gang has seen weirder, to be honest). Kubo even joins Norman in talking sometimes. -Loves Halloween stuff, but witches are a touchy subject for him.

Inkling Neil:

-You wouldn't expect it from his looks, but he loves going into Turf War! Though, he nearly got disqualified one time after he threw spicy hummus at an enemy Inkling instead of a bomb. -He is Norman's first and best friend, but he definitely doesn't mind meeting the rest of the Laika gang! He thinks they're all a cool bunch. -Is generally just a bright and energetic cinnamon roll and everyone in the Laika gang loves him for that.

Inkling Aggie:

-Never, ever call her a witch, EVER. It's the only thing scarier than calling Coraline "Caroline." -Like Norman, she is prone to talking to seemingly empty air, but she's warmed up to the other kids and can confidently say that living people aren't as bad as she thought they were. -Coraline and Winnie tried to get her to wear other clothes, but she insists on wearing the same black dress day after day. -Loves stories and eagerly awaits Kubo's storytelling sessions. She will still insist her mom is a better storyteller, though.

Octoling Eggs and Salmonid Fish:

-Eggs is an Octoling foundling adopted by a group of docile, box-wearing Salmonids that live in the sewers beneath Inkopolis. -For years Eggs was content to just wander the sewers of his home, but eventually he found himself up in Inkopolis and was fascinated by Inkling life. -Fish, being the protective parent he is, distrusts Inklings. Besides, Inklings and Salmonids never got along very well...however, since he knows Eggs passes off as an Inkling quite well, he lets the boy do what he wants. -Eggs's first friend is Winnie, and being a sharp little Inkling she finds out about his origins, and even correctly guesses that he is an Octoling rather than an Inkling. -Eggs loves music, which is probably one of the reasons he likes Inkopolis so much. Imagine his delight when he got to meet Kubo. Since then, Eggs likes making contraptions for Kubo's origami/storytelling sessions. -Gets along very well with Wybie too, the two even come up with a lot of contraptions together.

Inkling Winnie

-She didn't have too many friends growing up since she had a tendency to scare away the other kids - but she found a friend in Eggs. After mistaking him for a pickpocket. It's a long story. -Unlike Aggie, she wears a lot of fancy clothing, but she doesn't really care all that much for them. Is a dab hand herself at making outfits, though, even if it's not something she is particularly into. -Is slightly jealous of Kubo for having attentive parents. -Speaking of Kubo, she loves sharing the stage with him, and the two love putting on a show every now and then.

Inkling Kubo

-Kubo loves to wander the streets of Inkopolis, putting on musical shows and magical storytelling sessions using his origami as props. On these jaunts he will often be accompanied by fellow storyteller, Winnie. They're a great hit especially near Splatoween, and Kubo has made it sort of an annual thing to have an elaborate Splatoween show, in which Eggs and Wybie helps a lot by building contraptions for more complex stuff. -Has been offered to have his songs sold on CDs, but always refuses. -Has a strained relationship with his mother's family. Met his aunts once and never talked about them ever again. As for his blind eye, it might have something to do with his strict grandfather... -Has really bad eating manners together with Eggs.

 Inkling Sariatu:

-Sariatu came from a rich family renowned for playing traditional music. However, due to this Sariatu and her sisters were raised very strictly. -Of course, everything changes when Sariatu meets a certain rogue Inkling and falls in love with him. -She happily turned back on her own family, something her father and sisters never forgave her for. She was surprised when they turned up to see her newborn son...unfortunately, it turned into an incident she never forgave her family for after it literally scarred Kubo for life. -Even up to now she is very protective of Kubo, but seeing as they live far away from her hometown she relaxes and lets him out of the house as he pleases. She still worries plenty about him, and doesn't like it when he stays out too long.

Inkling Hanzo:

-Hanzo = dad jokes for days. Anytime the Laika kids come over they will never hear the end of goofy jokes and puns. -Was said to be quite the ferocious Inkling in Turf Wars, but almost no one sees this side of him anymore. He much prefers just kicking back and having fun with his family, whom he loves to bits. -As for how he and Sariatu met, they lived in the same hometown. Sariatu was well-known for being the eldest daughter of the snootiest family in town, and she had no friends. Only Hanzo had the courage to walk up to her and chat her up. At first she wasn't impressed by him trying to show off his Turf War skills, but she later grew to love his charm and really - he was just a good guy who treated her like a person, not as another girl held up on a pedestal. They eventually eloped together and came to Inkopolis to escape Sariatu's family. -While Sariatu knew how fierce Hanzo was, she never knew just how fearsome he could truly be. When Sariatu's father came over with her sisters to see Kubo, they took out their anger on the boy, resulting in Kubo's lost eye. Hanzo furiously drove off all three of them, the only time he had ever been truly angry. (whoa that got dark 0_0) -Same as Sariatu, Hanzo is protective of Kubo, but he doesn't show it as much. He just wants Kubo to grow up like a normal kid, which is why he is delighted to see that Kubo has built a great circle of friends around himself.

#laika films #coraline #coraline fanart #wybie lovat #paranorman #paranorman fanart #norman babcock #agatha prenderghast #neil downe #the boxtrolls #the boxtrolls fanart #eggs #fish #winifred portly-rind #Kubo And The Two Strings #kubo and the two strings fanart #sariatu #hanzo

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Halloween Heist

Peter Parker x Reader

Words: 3229

Summary: You use your sleuthing skills to track a string of robberies in your neighborhood. Enlisting in the help of your boyfriend- and secret superhero- Peter Parker, the two of you discover a plot to attack a charity ball full of New York’s richest on Halloween night. 

Notes: I am so so so sorry that this is so late. I really wanted to get this out on Halloween, but a lot was going on in my life and I just couldn’t write. I’m really hoping to get some Christmas imagines out to make up for it! (P.S., I couldn’t find if Pepper change her name to Stark, but I went ahead and put that in)

-

You anxiously watched the clock, the seconds ticking by painfully slow as your teacher droned on. You sprung up before the bell even had time to ring and bolted out the door. The halls filled with students eager to go home for the weekend- more so than most. Tomorrow was Halloween. 

“Woah, where’s the fire?” A voice behind you asked with amusement, fingers lacing through yours. You pulled your phone out of your pocket and showed him the article you were reading. 

“There was another robbery this afternoon. This one was at the jewelry store down the block from my dad’s apartment.” You pulled him down the hall, weaving in between students and making your way towards the door. “They’ve escalated their targets.”

“What’s your favorite scary movie?” A voice whispered from behind the two of you. He was holding his arm over your head and made a stabbing motion. The boy took off the mask and grinned. 

“Hey man.” Peter greeted nervously. Robbie gave Peter a dirty look before turning a creepy stalker smile on you. “I heard that you’ve been looking into those missing backpack cases with the security team-”

“I really can’t talk now, Robbie. I’ll see you on Monday.” You waved him off and Peter wrapped an arm around your shoulders. 

“He gives me the creeps.” Peter shuttered. You shrugged. 

“He’s harmless.” Robbie was one of the kids that grew up during the Blip. He’d always had a crush on you when he was a kid, but now he was your age and he wouldn’t leave you alone, even though he knew you and Peter were together. You weren’t worried about him, though. You had bigger fish to fry. 

You took the subway back to your neighborhood. You loved the rattling cars and the silent agreement between occupants not to make eye contact. Peter thought it was too crowded, but it was your favorite time to observe the people around you. From the man drumming on the railing to the woman hiding a cat in her sweatshirt, you found every person fascinating. 

Once your feet once again hit the pavement, you quickly found the scene of the crime. The front window was shattered and cases of jewelry had been ransacked. You took a step closer, but the hand holding yours pulled you back. 

“Y/N, I really think you should leave this kind of thing to me.” Peter suggested. It’s not that he thought you weren’t capable of taking care of yourself, but after everything he’d been through that year… to say he worried was an understatement. 

“I’ve been tracking these guys for months, Peter. Once we find them, you can kick their asses with those spidey powers, deal?” You gave him a quick kiss before sneaking across the street to get a better look. If your suspicions were correct, they would have left their calling card in the center of the store. With no officers in sight, you climbed through the window, your eyes scanning the ground for the little white note. 

“What are you doing? Someone could see us!” Peter exclaimed. 

“Shhhh.” You hissed, finally spotting the paper. You pulled a glove out of your backpack and picked it up. 

“Why do you even have those?” 

“Peter.” You shot him a look and he remained quiet while you read the note. “Oh my God.” Each time they left a calling card, they left some kind of hint of where their next hit was going to be, but it was never enough for the local police to figure it out before it happened. But looking at the photograph, information clicked inside your brain, giving you every clue. The police wouldn’t have made the connection, but they’d made the note for you, waiting for you to come and find them. 

“What is it?” Peter asked, trying to look over your shoulder and keep an eye on the door. 

“It’s me.” You lifted up the photograph of you standing in front of a large ballroom, dressed in a princess gown your mother had made you wear for Halloween when you were eight. “I know where they’ll be next.” 

-

The annual Halloween Gala was hosted and attended by New York’s elite. This year was particularly important since it was being held in honor of the late Tony Stark. Peter had even been invited by Pepper as a special guest. You knew how important it was to him. 

“Have these guys killed anyone?” Peter asked anxiously, although he knew the answer. He just didn’t want to hear it. 

“Not at their latest job.” You answered, running a hand down your face. “But their second robbery, the one at the bank in Manhattan, they killed one of the tellers.” Peter passed back and forth across your room, the base of all your sleuthing. 

“I have to stop them.” His stammered. Whenever he started to freak out, his voice was slightly higher than usual. “Mrs. Stark is going to be there and I can’t let anything happen to her-”

“Okay, first of all, I’m pretty sure that Rescue is going to be just fine,” You gave him a reassuring smile and stood in front of him to make him stop moving, “And secondly, we’re going to stop them.” He made a face.

“You aren’t coming. It’s too dangerous.” You raised your eyebrows.

“You’re kidding, right?” You scoffed. “I’m so not missing this. You were taking me as a plus one anyway.” He shook his head. 

“They used your picture as the clue. They obviously have you as a target.” 

“Which is exactly why I need to be there.” You argued. You were not about to let him go all lone hero on you now. “I’m going and not even Spider-Man is going to stop me.” He gave you the look with his big brown eyes, sad and soft. You shouldn’t have snapped at him. “Peter…” You sighed, putting a hand on his arm when he moved to leave. “I’m sorry. I just can’t let this go until those guys are put away.” After a moment, he put his hand on top of yours, pulling it up to his lips. 

“I know.” He held your hand against his cheek and neither of you said anything for a while. You’d both been through a lot since you came back from wherever the hell you went for five years, Peter especially. Maybe busting things bastards was just a way of reminding yourself that you were back. That you wouldn’t be snapped away again. 

“Why don’t we watch a movie?” You suggested. “Since we’ll be spending Halloween drinking mocktails and catching bad guys.” He shot you a look. “What?” 

“You always want to watch scary movies though,” He whined. 

“It’s Halloween, dummy.” You giggled. “Of course we’re watching a scary movie.” You reached for your movie shelf, your hand wavering over a few of your horror favorites like Halloween and Scream. Peter pulled you back. 

“Why can’t we watch a fun Halloween movie? Like Hocus Pocus?” 

“Because we’ve already watched it five times this month.” You laughed, putting Nightmare on Elm Street in the DVD player. “Don’t worry,” You grinned, “I’ll protect you.” You pulled his lips to yours and turned off the lights. Neither of you paid much attention to the movie anyway. 

-

The extravagant white dress billowed around you as you got out of the car. Once Pepper knew that you were coming with Peter, she helped you pick your costumes and she insisted on paying for them. Since it was a formal event, you decided on Christine and The Phantom from your favorite musical The Phantom of the Opera. Pepper didn’t realize that you would be pursuing a group of ruthless bank robbers in a $3,000 dollar ball gown. Peter stood in the hotel lobby, his pearly white mask glistening in the light of the chandelier. He was wearing a tux with a long black cape, concealing his Spider-Man suit underneath. 

“Wow.” He said breathlessly, eyes wide as they traveled over the shimmering fabric. “You look… wow.” You couldn’t help but smile and you kissed the cheek that wasn’t covered by the mask. You laced your arm through his and a pair of hotel employees dressed as knights opened the doors to the ballroom. 

It was like a scene from a movie. There were red banners lining the walls and meticulously detailed carved pumpkins placed on every step of the long, dramatic staircase. Costumes ranged from Medusa to King Arthur. Somewhere in the bustle of people whose shoes cost more than your whole apartment stood a familiar face framed with strawberry blond hair. Pepper’s dress was a backless, silky blue gown. 

“You two look incredible.” She beamed, pulling you into a hug. 

“So do you.” You replied, trying to keep your jaw from dropping. 

“Oh this?” Her lips tugged up into a small smile. “I found it in an old box… I’m surprised it still fits.” There was a look in her eye that told you more than she could have said. 

“You look really really great, Mrs. Stark.” Peter chimed in. She put a hand on his arm. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Pepper?” The band had already begun to play some classic Halloween tunes, but there was still no sign of the robbers. 

“We look pretty suspicious just standing here.” Peter observed and spun you outwards, causing you to laugh. “We might as well dance.” The band started to play “I Put a Spell On You” and the two of you jived along, laughing at each other’s strange dancing techniques. You almost forgot why you were there. 

A sharp cracking sound sent Peter’s body rigid. You look up to see the chandelier crashing down towards you, shards of glass reflecting your screaming face as Peter grabbed you, ducking out of the way just in time. The entire crowd froze, gasps and screams filling the air. All other light sources dimmed and a projection appeared on the far wall. 

“Now that we have your attention,” A voice boomed. A man appeared on the projection. His face was hidden with a cheap, plastic Iron Man mask. You saw Peter’s expression harden. Through the dark, you could see Pepper clutch the metallic necklace around her neck. “I would like to welcome you all to the first-ever Halloween auction. All the proceeds will be going to, well, me.” The crowd made a break for the doors, but everyone was locked with a blinking device. “Trying to leave would not end well for any of us.” The masked man laughed. 

“What do you want?” Some frightened woman yelled.

“I want her.” His voice dropped to a growl. A look of confusion went around the room. No one knew what he meant but you and Peter. He grabbed your hand. “All of this is for you.”

“What is he talking about?” Peter whispered. You had no idea. 

“Oh, I almost forgot.” The camera shifted, revealing two of the other thieves, both wearing the same plastic masks. They stepped to the side and Pepper let out a cry. 

“Morgan!” She shrieked, pushing her way to the front of the room. The little girl sat in a metal chair, handcuffs cuffing her ankle to one of the bars. You and Peter frantically raced to join Pepper at the front. “Leave her alone!” 

“A single door has been left open. Only she will go through it. If anyone else tries to leave, we’ll level the building.” The projection shut of and the room went into a panic. Everyone was trying to figure out what he meant. Others called the police. But you knew that Morgan would be dead before they got here if you didn’t do something. You stepped forward, but you didn't get very far.

"What are you doing?" Peter hissed, keeping your hand locked in his. 

"It's Morgan." You said, your determination overshadowed by your fear. Pepper shook her head, but you knew she would do anything for her daughter. You slowly slipped your hand out of Peter’s and pushed through the open door. 

The hallway was dark except for a red light placed beside the elevator. Old Halloween decorations littered your path, from broken plastic skeletons to styrofoam gravestones. You pushed the button on the elevator and tried not to scream when a bloody mask mounted on the wall greeted you. This time it was Spider-Man. 

“Come to the roof.” The same morphed voice boomed through the elevator speakers. You shakily pressed the button. You felt ridiculous, standing there in that gigantic dress as the elevator took you up to meet your fate. The floor numbers ticked by above your head until they reached the roof. 

It was one of those hotels that had a pool overlooking the city and the water glistened in the moonlight. 

“Y/N?” A small voice called out to you from across the pool. 

“Morgan.” You stepped out of the elevator and heard the click. You kept your head down as a bucket poured the warm red liquid splattered over you. Morgan started to cry. 

“What’s your favorite scary movie?” The whisper was too close to your face and you jumped away. You tried to keep a tough face and faked a confident smirk. 

“You’re mixing your references. The blood pouring is from Carrie.” Just looking at Iron Man’s face made your heart rate pick up. “I have to applaud your execution though.” 

“All of this has been for you.” He shrugged, the voice changer in his mask turning off. You knew that voice. What’s your favorite scary movie? 

You stumbled back, trying to put as much distance between you and him as possible while trying to get closer to Morgan. 

“Robbie?” 

“I gave you quite the story to chase, didn’t I?” His eyes were wide with a wild excitement that terrified. “All I had to do was pay a couple of thugs to help me rob a few places and I had you chasing after me.” 

“All of those robberies, that person you killed…” You gulped, “That was for me?” He nodded and laughed, and your heart raced even more. You had to keep your mind focused. You had to get Morgan out of there. “W-why did you take her?” 

“I had to make sure that you would come alone… Spider-man.” He had a giant grin on his face, as if he had won a prize. This took you back. 

“What?” 

“Don’t play dumb, Y/N. I know your secret.” He grabbed a piece of fabric from his pocket. “I found this in your bag a couple of months ago.” It was a torn piece of Peter’s suit that you had from when he came to your apartment after a fight with a couple of street thugs. He was okay, but his suit had been cut in a few places. How could you have been so stupid as to leave it in your backpack?

The pig’s blood was starting to irritate your skin and Morgan was getting more restless. You needed to keep him away from her. 

“Alright, so you know.” You stood up straighter, trying to seem convincing while you kept him on the opposite side of Morgan. “Why go through all of this?” 

“Because we could make the ultimate team!” He exclaimed as if it was obvious. “And you would finally ditch that creep Peter Parker and be with someone of your own standard.” 

“So you decided to start robbing banks and jewelry stores? And kidnap Tony Stark’s daughter?” You scoffed. 

“It was the only way to get you here tonight.” He shrugged with an eerily happy sigh. “And now we can say that we caught the bad guys together. That they had you on the ropes, but a new hero, The Night Owl appeared just in time.” He spoke as if he were reading a comic book. 

“Not gonna lie, Night Owl is a terrible superhero name.” A voice said from above you. Robbie looked up just as the real Spider-Man’s foot nailed him in the face. Robbie barely had time to recover before he pushed him back into the pool. Peter turned to you. “Are you okay?” He held out his hand and you tried to wipe the blood off your hands before you took it. 

“How did you get out?” You wondered as the two of you rushed over to Morgan. 

“Happy showed up with the bomb squad.” He explained, his voice turning soft as he spoke to Morgan. “Did the bad guys hurt you?” He asked, snapping off the handcuffs. She jumped into his arms. 

“I’m okay.” She answered. He picked her up, but when you turned around, a group of three more men in masks stood in front of you, a furious, and wet, Robbie standing with them. 

“You don’t get to ruin my plans yet!” He shrieked. 

“There’s nowhere to go, Robbie.” Peter warned. “The cops are on their way up now.” He held Morgan close, keeping her head down. 

“I was so convinced that it was you, Y/N.” Robbie seemed to pretend that Spider-Man wasn’t there. “But that doesn’t matter. All we have to do is get rid of the real one.” The three men started to move towards you and Robbie pulled out a gun. If he missed Peter, he would hit Morgan. 

“Stop it.” You ordered, putting yourself in front of her. “You can’t be a hero after being a villain Robbie.” 

“Every hero is someone else’s villain, Y/N.” He shrugged. The three thugs drew nearer and Peter gently set Morgan down behind him, preparing to fight. They attacked all at once, one taking your arms and shoving you back and the other two going after Peter. As you stumbled back, your foot caught on your dress. In a whirlwind of red stained fabric, you toppled over the edge of the roof. 

“Y/N!” Peter shouted, trying to fight off the two men to get to you, but it was too late. Morgan started to cry again. 

“You’ve ruined everything!” Robbie shouted. “Grab the girl! We can still make something of this disaster.” But as one of the men reached for Morgan, the whooshing sound of propulsors cause him to freeze. 

“Don’t. Touch. My. Daughter.” Rescue soared up to the roof, her mask lifting to show Pepper’s seething face. In her metal-clad arms, was you. 

“Hell man, I’m not dealing with two superheroes.” The man exclaimed, scurrying off, quickly followed by the other two. Pepper landed, putting you back on your feet and took her daughter into her safe arms. 

“Oh my god.” Peter swept you up as quickly as you’d been put down. “I thought- when you- I didn’t… don’t ever go into scary doorways alone ever again.” 

“Wait a second,” Robbie muttered. “You’re cheating on Peter with Spider-man?” The police burst through the doors before he could make any further revelations. He called out for you as they dragged him away, but you kept your face buried in Peter’s chest, your stomach still doing somersaults from the fall. He lifted up your chin to look at him, taking off his mask once the coast was clear. 

“Hey,” His voice was calming and his smile turned to boyish excitement. “Let’s go get some candy.”

#halloween in november #spiderman #marvel imagines #peter parker x reader #tom holland #pepper potts #morgan stark #better late than never i guess

[lailannajacobs]

Circles

Pairing: Steve Rogers x fem!reader

Prompt: Costume Party: Stark is throwing a work Masquerade party and you’ve decided to go, hoping you’ll finally work up the courage to talk to a certain someone you’ve had a crush on for a while now

Warnings: fluff! 

Word Count: 4.3k

A/N: My submission for @moonstruckbucky​ Halloween challenge! Although it’s not creepy in the slightest (I’m the world’s biggest scaredycat) I had a great time getting into the Halloween spirit! First time writing Steve Rogers so I’m curious to know what you guys think!! <3

“I look stupid,” You whined, staring at your reflection in distaste, “Why am I even going to this thing.”

Nat’s gaze slid away from her own reflection in the mirror to yours, “Because you’re hoping that Steve shows up so that you can finally make a move.”

She fiddled with the clasp of her earring, one of the final pieces to her costume. Leaning against her bathroom doorframe, you watched as she finished getting ready, trying - and failing - not to be so much of a Debby Downer. Normally, you weren’t against accompanying Nat to these events, but it had been a long day. All you wanted to do was go home. Instead, you had dressed up in a cliché, itchy cat costume you had found last minute in a thrift store downtown, and had shown up at Nat’s door, pairing your costumed with a forced smile.

Tony Stark had decided to throw a masquerade work party for Halloween this year and had stated in his e-mail that he hoped everyone would make an appearance. Although you had been tempted to spend the evening handing out candy at your mother’s house in the suburbs, Nat had convinced you that Captain Rogers - Steve as he had insisted you call him on multiple occasions - would be there as well and that it would be a perfect opportunity for you to stop pining over him and actually do something about your crush. Now that you were all dressed up and the party was already getting started a few blocks away, you weren’t so sure about any of it.

“We both know I’m never actually going to make a move,” You tugged on the hem of your costume, trying to make it longer than it actually was, “And even if I did, you know he never shows up to this kind of thing.”

Her lips curled into a wicked grin, “It’s not my fault you’re into a centenarian who’s too old to party.”

“When you say it like that, you make it sound like I’m into old men.” You laughed, staring at her elegant yet somehow distinctly peacock dress.

You wondered if she knew exactly how stunning she looked.

“You are into old men,” she extended her arm so you could tie the clasp on her bracelet even though you knew perfectly well she could have done it herself. Still, you were thankful it made you feel useful while you waited, “Or at least one old man in particular.”

You rolled your eyes, having trouble keeping the smirk off your lips, “Age is just a number.”

“I don’t see why you haven’t talked to him,” she paused, sifting through her makeup bag, “He’s not scary or anything.”

“Says the former assassin who’s been friends with him for years now. I’m not like you guys remember? I’m normal.” You scoffed.

The humour vanished from her face, “Anyone working for Stark isn’t normal.”

“Are you telling me that Janitor Bob has a special skill set I don’t know about?” You raised a brow, trying to get her to see your point that you weren’t in the same league as any of the Avengers, regardless of the fact that technically you all worked with Tony Stark in some form or another.

Every once in a while, you wondered how you had gotten to be friends with the infamous Black Widow. She was one of the Avengers - she had saved the world. You were one of Stark’s no-name employees in the IT department who, more often than not, worked regular 9-5 hours. Sure, every once in a while you were called in to help out on certain missions, but in general, you didn’t live in the same world as the Avengers.

The only reason you had met Nat at all had been because you had been the one to get her out of a particularly sticky situation, hacking into Hyrda’s security system and disabling their communications systems. She had found you when she had gotten back and had taken you out for drinks as a personal thank you. Since then, she had become your closest friend, but it still shocked you a little when you really thought about it.

“What I’m trying to say, (y/n), is that working in Stark’s IT department, after being hired for hacking through his security system for fun, doesn’t make you normal.” She insisted, an eyelash curler clamped tight around her lashes.

Even if you didn’t quite believe her, you shrugged, knowing you couldn’t change her mind, “Fine, so I’m not normal. But that still doesn’t make me special enough for a guy like Captain America to notice me, right? To him, I’m just the woman who fixes the problems on his laptop about once a week.”

“He’s really the biggest dork,” she repeated for probably the hundredth time since she had discovered your crush, “He doesn’t notice anyone much. He’s all about work. And like you said, this really isn’t his kind of thing.”

You stared at her incredulously, “Then why am I even going? You said he’d be there! I should just go back to my apartment and have a nice a cozy night in with a cup of tea, a soft blanket and my lap top.”

“Trust me, he’s going to be there. Maybe not for long, but he will be there.” Her lips pulled into an encouraging smile, “And you’re coming to keep me company. It’s good to feel normal every once in a while.”

You raised a brow.

“Just because we’re not normal doesn’t mean we don’t want to take the weight of the world off our shoulders for the night. That’s why Tony throws these things after all.”

“You know nothing Tony Stark does can be considered normal.”

“As close to normal as we can get,” she laughed, zipping up her bag, “And it’s not like we’d have it any other way.”

“Fine,” you groaned, pretending not to notice how gorgeous she looked as she titled her head from side to side, looking for imperfections in her makeup, “But I still look stupid.”

Nat turned all her attention on you, making you want to cower under that intense gaze, “That you do,” she amended, a wide cat-like grin spreading across her lips, “But I have something that’ll fit you much better.”

Steve combed his hair back, looked over at Bucky, and then sighed. It seemed that after all that had happened to the guy, Buck was still ten times better at the the whole social thing than he would ever be. He liked that he had managed to keep a hold of the part of himself that would always be that skinny kid from Brooklyn, he just wasn’t too sure how much help that part of him would be tonight. He’d take a bully and a fight over any one of Stark’s parties any day. How Bucky had convinced him to go tonight, Steve still couldn’t figure it out.

“It’s Halloween.” Bucky replied when Steve voiced his concerns, “You show up in a mask for an hour and then leave. No one notices you’re gone because everyone’s too busy getting drunk to pay attention to who’s behind the mask, but everyone is pretty sure they remember you being there.”

Steve looked down at his mask, almost afraid to pick it up. “Don’t you think it’s a little ironic that we’re all dressing up to go to a masquerade party?”

“I think that was the point,” Bucky shrugged on his tux jacket, “He did say he did say a ball cap and sunglasses didn’t count as a costume tonight, remember?”

“He did?” Steve unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, suddenly finding it hard to breath.

Bucky secured the mask around his face, white and silver framing blue eyes. “I’m pretty sure you were at that meeting”

“I might not have been paying attention.” Steve confessed, “I had a flight to catch right after and a mission to get to.”

“Of course you did,” Buck let out a sigh that was a cross between amusement and disappointment, “It wasn’t like you actually thought you’d be going to a party tonight. Now that you’re here though, you should work up the courage to talk to that girl from IT you can’t seem to keep your eyes off of.”

Steve fumbled and dropped the cuff links he was attempting to secure, “What? I do not.”

“Sure.” Buck’s lips spread into a knowing grin, “Whatever you say.”

Steve stared at his friend, a little mesmerized that he was getting back to normal so well. The bags under his eyes had lessened in the past months and over all he seemed happier and just a little more awake. It would never completely go away, but the fact that Buck was trying so hard made him sigh and say through gritted teeth, “One hour. That’s all.”

“That’s all I can ask from you buddy.” Bucky chuckled, “Anything more would probably kill you.”

Steve looked back down at the mask and tentatively picked it up as if it might transform and a attack him. He was kind of hoping it might. At least then he’d be more comfortable with it.

“It doesn’t feel like me.” He grumbled.

Bucky shot him a daring grin over his shoulder before walking out the door. “Well that’s the point isn’t it? It’s a costume party.”

“Stop fiddling with it.” Nat scolded, swatting your hand away from your mask.

By the time Nat had found the black dress she was looking for, had coaxed you into it, and had made it up the sky rise, the party was in full swing. Colourful costumes and intricate masks hid hundreds of party goers, while upbeat music resonated through the air and through your chest. The massive ballroom, taking up the entire 50th floor, had cobwebs hanging from the chandeliers and other Halloween decorations strewn across the room. A thin layer of smoke hung just above the ground, and although it was all a bit tacky, you supposed that was the point.

The decorations might have resembled a slightly higher budget version of your high school’s Halloween dance, but the costumes were stunning and in a league of their own. When Nat had pulled out the dress for you to wear, you had been surprised by how much you liked it. It was beautiful yet subtle, though not something you’d have ever bought yourself. The material was soft and unrestrictive, the lacy cape-like wings just apparent enough to consider the dress a costume. Complete with the thin, golden bat mask and maroon lipstick, you had liked what you had seen and had found yourself smiling for the first time that night. Maybe you would go up to Captain Rogers - Steve - and talk to him about something other than work.

Now that you were among so many other incredibly gorgeous party goers, you weren’t so sure about anything anymore.

“You look really good, trust me.” Nat continued, giving you a comforting squeeze.

You forced a smile and tried to be brave about this whole thing, “We look really good.”

“That we do,” Nat scanned the room until her eyes landed on the bar in the far corner, “Now, let’s go get a drink. Something that’s toxic green or has gummy eyeballs floating in it.”

A laugh bubbled out of you, but you were genuinely amused by her excitement. Although she was usually in a teasing mood, it was nice to see her getting excited about something so inane. It almost made you suggest organizing a board game night once a month at work to get people’s minds off of some of the horrors they’d seen, but you kept your mouth shut. They all had so many other important missions to go on, the idea felt silly in comparison.

Following, you wove through the crowd on her heels, pausing as she said hi to a few people in passing. Some were completely recognizable, the mask and costume unable to completely hide their distinct size or look, but others were as recognizable to you as strangers. Honestly though, you stayed holed up in IT so often that the odds of you having actually met them were slim to none.

“What do you want to drink?” Nat shouted over the music, gesturing to to the bartender.

You shrugged, “Whatever you’re having!”

She nodded and leaned over the bar to order. You glanced around, fiddling with your dress and knowing too well that you wouldn’t be able to hang around as Nat’s shadow all night. You’d have to mingle eventually, but you couldn’t spot any of your coworkers from IT who might have made the prospect less terrifying.

Maybe all you’d have to do was hang around for an hour and then you could call a cab home. Or maybe even walk home. It was a surprisingly warm night and you didn’t live far.

A hand on your arm snapped you out of your dreams of escape, and Nat handed you a pink drink with the gummy eyeball she had promised bobbing merrily on the surface.

She leaned in close, a sly grin on her lips, “Now, let’s go see if we can find those two, hundred-year-old dorks.”

“This whole not being able to get drunk thing is a bit of a bummer, isn’t it.” Bucky said, handing Steve his third beer of the hour.

“At least you didn’t have to find that out after having watched you die.” Steve mentioned before taking a long swig of his beer.

“Woah, that’s a little dark for a party there, buddy,” Bucky clapped him on the back, “And anyways, didn’t Thor have something that ‘wasn’t meant for mere men’?”

Steve shook his head, a smile growing. It was impossible not to find Bucky’s light-hearted mood at least a little contagious.

“He’s not hard to find. The bear over there is clearly him.”

Bucky nodded, scanning the room, “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious who’s wearing what costume.”

“Yourself included?” Steve asked.

The white suit jacket with silver lining, black dress pants and intricate wolf mask might have hidden all but piercing blue eyes, but there was no mistaking who wore the costume.

“Yeah, like mine.” He answered automatically, still searching the room.

Steve peered in the general direction Bucky was looking in but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. If he was lucky, his friend might have sensed something amiss and they could leave the party.

“What are you looking for?”

The words seemed to snap him out of his hunt and Buck dragged his attention away from the crowd, “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Steve echoed, not quite sure he believed him.

“Nothing.” Buck affirmed, “Just taking in all the costumes”

Steve let out a dissatisfied humph, figuring he’d know what Bucky was really looking for by the end of the night.

“Well don’t you boys look ravishing.”

Steve smiled, Nat’s voice a comfort among the unfamiliar faces hidden behind masks.

“Natasha,” Bucky dipped his head in greeting, a funny little smirk on his lips, “You look stunning as always. How many weapons do you have stashed in those magnificent feathers of yours?”

Her lips pulled into a wicked grin, “No less than you have tucked into that dashing suit of yours.”

“It wouldn’t be fair if you didn’t.” He amended.

“We both know only one of us actually needs them though.”

“And we both know very well who that is…but maybe we should test it out on the mats tomorrow just to be sure.” Bucky answered, a goofy little grin on his lips.

Nat nodded, her lips pursued as if trying to contain a genuine smile.

Steve watched the whole interaction, something tugging at the back of his mind, telling him that he was missing something, but before he could figure it out, she turned her attention to him.

“Steve, I’m surprised you actually made it. Isn’t it past your bedtime, old man?”

An amused chuff escaped his lips, “It is, but sometimes you got to make an exception. Or so I was told.”

“I’m glad you did. There’s someone I want to introduce you to-“

“Nat, I told you, I’m good.” He interrupted.

Buck coughed and Steve shot him a look that only caused his smirk to widen.

“I’m not looking for anything,” he insisted, “Seriously.”

She searched the crowd for a second and sighed, “Fine. She ran off anyways.”

“I know you’re only going to let it go for tonight, but I appreciate it.”

The music slowed and people started pairing off. Steve watched them all, thankful for the change. Slow songs meant that it was beginning to be acceptable to leave.

“Steve, you’re not leaving now, are you?” Nat asked as he began to inch away from where they were standing.

“No, I’m just going for out for a breather.” She shot him a skeptical look she had every right to throw his way. “I’ll be back. Why don’t you dance with Bucky while I’m gone? By the time the song ends I’ll be back.”

Something flashed through Buck’s eyes and he tried to run his fingers through his hair but was stopped by the mask he clearly forgot he was wearing, shrugging instead.

Nat shrugged as well, an unfamiliar look crossing her face so quickly Steve thought he had imagined it. “What do you say soldier?”

Bucky nodded, looking like he was at a loss for words and extended his hand.

She took it, “Let’s see if you can dance better than you can fight.”

He chuckled, loosening up a little before leading her toward the rest of the dancers, never once taking his eyes off of her.

Steve figured he had just gotten permission to step out for a bit and beelined for the balcony.

You were glad for the fresh air. When Nat had begun weaving through the crowd, claiming to have spotted Steve and Bucky, you had made your escape. Even if you hadn’t actually gotten a glimpse of them, the prospect of seeing the two soldiers outside of a professional work environment terrified you to your core. You hated to admit it, but you had literally run away.

Your breathing had finally slowed, but you couldn’t bring yourself to leave the cool comfort of the night’s silence. You hoped Nat would stay inside and have a good time. She deserved to and you had a feeling there had been someone there she had been hoping to see, though you weren’t skilled enough to have figured out who.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone else was out here,” A deep voice broke the silence as if you had conjured him from your daydreams, “I’ll go back inside.”

Your whole body had gone rigid at the sound, but you blurted out, “Not that’s okay. It’s a little crowded in there but I think there’s enough room for the two of us out here.”

“If you’re sure you don’t mind…” He trailed off.

You forced yourself to turn around, knowing it was impolite and more than a little strange if you kept talking out at the skyline.

Of all the masks you had been expecting on Captain Rogers tonight, the only one you hadn’t was the one he was actually wearing. The costume he wore could only be described as one thing; the prince of darkness. He looked like a fallen angel, his inky suit blending in with the darkness around him, the intricate black mask painstaking beautiful against blue eyes. The top buttons on his shirt were undone and his pale hair a mess on the top of his head as if he had been running his hand through it all night.

You didn’t know if he had been the one to choose the costume or if someone else had, but whoever had chosen had apparently wanted to kill you by stopping your heart.

Long, confident strides led him to the balcony not far to your right and he shot you a polite smile before staring out at the city. It took everything in you to tear your gaze away from him and look out at the skyline that now paled in comparison to the sight beside you. The silence grew and you knew that the longer neither of you said anything, the less likely you’d think of something relevant to say - not that you had any more of a clue what to say now. You were about to turn away and leave him in peace, but it was as if Natasha was in your head, ordering you to stay.

You let out an annoyed sigh and glanced over at him. He seemed content with the silence and probably didn’t want to be bothered. Nat’s voice in your head told you that you were making up excuses.

“Long night?” You finally asked.

He let out an amused little huff, “You could say that…this kind of thing is not something I really do often.”

“So I’ve heard,” You shrugged a small smile on your lips, “If it makes you feel any better, it’s not really my thing either.”

He cocked his head, as if trying to figure something out, “That why you’re hiding out here?”

“You could say that,” You parroted his words, hoping he would never figure out it was him you were trying to avoid, “I seem to be much better at dealing with computers than real people.”

“If you don’t mind me saying” He cut himself off and looked back out at the skyline.

You took a step forward, more than a little curious, “What?”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “If you don’t mind me saying, you definitely look the part. You don’t look like you belong anywhere else than a stunning Halloween party.”

You weren’t too sure if it was a compliment or not, but the words caused the butterflies in your stomach to take off. “Then I guess we’re both pretty good at blending in. That costume is a long way from the red, white and blue spandex.”

He chuckled, “Was it naive of me to think I could go unnoticed tonight?”

“Honestly?”

He nodded.

“Yes,” You kept your eyes locked on the horizon, “You’re a hard person to miss Captain Rogers.”

“Call me Steve.”

“Sure.” You answered, the same way you did every time he asked you to call him Steve.

The silence stretched until felt his eyes on you, and you realized he was staring.

You slowly turned your head to face him and raised a brow.

“umm, yes?” You weren’t too sure what else to say, all you knew was that you wanted to know why he was staring. You suddenly wished the mask wasn’t stopping you from reading his expression.

“(y/n)?”

You breathed out a “yes?” surprised he remembered your name.

He let out a laugh of disbelief.

“What?”

“I can’t believe it took me this long to recognize you.” Even in the dark you could feel his eyes travel from your feet to your head, actually taking you in.

You shrugged and wrapped your arms around your chest in a loose hug, “In your defence, I’m not very noticeable.”

“That’s not true.” He shook his head, taking a step closer.

You scoffed, “If it wasn’t for your reputation, I’d say you were lying Captain Rogers.”

“Steve,” His voice was a deep command that sent shivers down your spine.

“Steve” You echoed.

“Good,” The corner of his mouth curled slightly, “Can I let you in on a little secret, I.T.?”

You nodded, only able to watch as he took another small step closer, the gap between your two bodies only a couple feet.

“I figured out that computer ages ago.”

“What? Wait. What? I…” You couldn’t say anything coherent, his answer not making any sense.

“Yeah…I liked having you come up once a week.” He was so close now you could smell the spicy scent of his body wash.

“Why?” You whispered.

He shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“Oh…yeah…of course,” Your heart fell, knowing there was no way he could have the same thing in mind that you did, “you don’t know…”

“Well…maybe I do,” He paused, plucking one of Nat’s loose feathers from your shoulder, “I just don’t know if it’s a good thing to say aloud.”

You tilted your head up to get a better look at him, to try and see past the mask. The whole conversation was confusing you, but you couldn’t step away, as if you were magnetically drawn to him, “Why wouldn’t it be?”

His lips spread a little further into something almost dangerous, “Because I don’t know what it would mean if I did.”

You sucked in a deep breath, trying to slow your pounding heart. This was it. If there was ever a time to be bold, it was now.

“Who says you have to say anything at all?”

His hand snaked its way to the back of your neck, and before closing the distance, whispered, “That’s a very good point.”

The kiss was firm but gentle, his lips moving and guiding yours. You slid your hands up his strong chest, your fingers wrapping around the lapels of his jacket and tugging him even closer. He took that as a sign to deepen the kiss, his other hand traveling to your hip, fingers pressing firmly into the material. It only made you try to get even closer, but you had to know what was going on.  

Breathless, you broke the kiss and leaned back to look into his bright eyes, “umm, right…wow, okay, umm, what? Should we go back to the party?

“How about we not.” He all but growled, pulling you back in.

#halloweenhauntsauchallenge #steve rogers fic #steve rogers #steve rogers x you #captain america #fan fiction #fanfic

[ssttitdramon]

No Spiders There

Ramón Morales x Reader

Request: Can you do a fluffy lil Ramón x reader 👀

Word Count: 1,341 (definitely not lil, sorry!)

Note: You know the drill, our boys are back and Ramón did not leave :) Also, if you’d like send in a request, take a look at the rules.

Warning: Mentions of underage drinking (it’s none of these kids tho)

“Wait. Ramón stop, I’m serious.” you giggle, trying to get him to hold still as he dodges his head away from your fingers.

You were currently kneeling on the sofa over the grinning boy, his left leg between your knees. Ramón finally sat still, grabbing your hip when he noticed your leg wobble from his swift movements. You finally pulled at the last piece of white thread tangled on his hair, remnant of the “spooky spider prank” Chuck pulled when he answered his door to the two of you. You proudly show Ramón the strand as you tousle his hair, “Gotta also make sure there’s no more fake spiders in th-”

“Ahem. Can the two of you please stop making out in my living room? C'mon, before my mom sees you and starts waving the Bible around.” Chuck interrupted as he walked in, tugging at the sleeves of his peculiar Halloween costume. 

You however, finally notice just how close you were to Ramón, not to mention his hand on your hip and his thumb on the waistband of your skirt, dangerously close to touching your skin. You quickly get up, ignoring the small smirk forming on his lips or the amused look on his eyes, which have definitely noticed the blush blossoming on your cheeks by now.

Turning his attention away from you- Ramón zeroed in on Chuck’s costume, “That’s a weird Superman costume.“ 

"Yeah, it doesn’t have the S. What’s up with that?” you hear Ruth ask from the restroom, fixing her shiny Glinda the Good Witch crown over her hair.

“I’ve been telling you guys I’m Doctor Strange this year!” Chuck whined, waving his orange gloves around and pointing to the round gold plastic clip that held his red cape around his shoulders.

You adjust your black headband cat ears, “Alright then Doctor Strange, do you think Auggie’s really going to be a vampire again this year?” you ask.

Right on time you hear knocking on the door, Stella’s blonde wig flashing by the front window. Chuck opens the door to Count Dracula and Melanie Daniels. 

“Well, how do we look?” Auggie bares his pair of plastic pointy teeth. Stella brushes past the tall boy and poses in her green suit with two pinned mock birds secured on her jacket, you give her two thumbs up.

“That’s a vampire alright.” Ramón answers you from behind.

“I am Dracula, big significant difference. And why aren’t you dressed?” Auggie huffs, everyone turning to look at Ramón.

Ramón shrugs, “Guess I ran out of time to come up with something. But okay, if we find a cowboy hat and a red bandanna at this party… then I’m your cowboy.” he suggests, sending you a wink as you shake your head. Already wearing his leather jacket and a white shirt, everyone accepted his excuse- mumbling something about getting him an actual costume next year.

The party Ramón mentioned is the one big Halloween party being thrown at some cheerleader’s house this year, just about every teen in Mill Valley was invited and Ruth insisted on leading the five of you into it. The Good Witch glides out of the restroom, “Very well then children, off we go.” she announces, pointing her small wand to the door. 

Everyone decided to walk to the party (with the exception of Ramón giving you a piggyback ride halfway there) since it was only three blocks away from the Steinberg household. Once you got to the two-story house guarded by jack-o-lanterns and several skeletons, you could hear the chatter and music from outside. 

“This place is a freaking mansion. Should we knock?” Chuck held his hand over the front double doors. Before anyone could reply, the right door swung open and a tall, lanky Mickey Mouse pushed his way out. Behind him, a giggling Minnie Mouse hot on his trail. 

“Well I’m gonna go find Chelsea, okay? I don’t want to see any of you drinking anything that’s been handed to you, especially you Chuck.” Ruth warned, making her point clear as she stood in front of the doorway with her hands on her hips. 

Inside, you immediately recognized half of Mill Valley High seniors dancing in the spacious living room. Before you could take another step you felt an arm wrap around your waist, stopping you from running into the supporting pillar of the extensive staircase. Realizing the arm belonged to Ramón, you turned around, already losing yourself in his eyes and thanked him. 

Before either of you could say anything else, you hear Chuck snicker to Auggie, “Guess he should be her boyfriend for Halloween, huh?” Auggie rolls his eyes and groans, didn’t seem like the first time Chuck made that joke so far. Auggie and Stella push Chuck into the crowd before he opened his mouth again. Ramón’s eyes move from Chuck to you as if he was checking for your reaction. After you give him a blank look -hoping to seem like you didn’t hear it, he suggests going to the kitchen.

In there, several band kids were cheering on Frankenstein to drink what remained of a Vodka bottle sneaked from the upstairs study. Others simply danced around the kitchen, while two girls were impressively dancing on the counter without knocking any drinks or snacks. The two of you push your way to the bowls of candy, you grab a cup and fill it to the brim with peanut M&Ms. 

You turn to Ramón, getting close to his ear “Let’s go dance.” you say over the music and the kitchen crowd hoots, which were now on a mummy and a wolf competing on who could finish their drink first.

Ramón pulls you closer, “Sorry, but I can’t dance.” he shrugs. You scoff, noticing a tiny abandoned cowboy hat sitting on the counter, you place it on his head.

“I don’t believe you, cowboy.” happy with his smile from his new nickname, you grab his hand and lead him to the living room. Unable to spot your friends, you start dancing on the spot. Your only audience being Ramón, who took his place leaning against the wall to admire you. 

After two songs you send Ramón a pout, “You can’t just stand there the whole night.” waving him closer.

“I can if it’s you, kitty.” he laughs, stepping closer to you, “C'mon, let’s go outside. It’s getting pretty stuffy in here." 

Putting his hand on the small of your back, Ramón leads you through a hall and over to a small porch on the side of the house. He quickly turned off the porch light to avoid the interest of others joining the two of you there. 

The sudden lack of light made you jump, taking your eyes time to adjust to the moonlight as the two of you sit on the porch swing. Ramón chuckles, apologizing for scaring you before unexpectedly pulling you closer to kiss your forehead. 

You freeze, heart beating a 100 miles per hour. Did he just… kiss your forehead? You gaze into his dark eyes, "You’re absolutely adorable and gorgeous, you know that?” he asks before you could say anything else.

You roll your eyes, “Of course I am, cowboy. You’re lucky I spend my precious time with you almost all day, everyday.” you tease, drawing a sweet smile from him.

“I sure am.” he confides softly, still holding you close. You bite your bottom lip, trying your best from spilling your heart out on that porch. You were sure he could probably hear it hammering against your chest by now.

Ramón’s eyes dart from your eyes to your lips. Caressing your face, he presses two small kisses on your cheek before stopping at your lips, waiting for you to close the distance. You meet his soft lips, wrapping an arm around his neck. He lets out a low hum while you softly run your fingers through his hair, knocking off the small hat. 

You smile into the kiss, briefly breaking away just a bit, “No spiders there.”

~Feedback is always appreciated!

#ramon morales #scary stories to tell in the dark #ramon morales x reader #august hilderbrandt #stella nicholls #chuck steinberg #ssttitd #mine #hello i wanna marry this yeehaw boi #spare hand in marriage sir?? hmm? #reader insert

[freddiesaysalright]

D27 and D46 with Rami?

D27 Please don’t carve something inappropriate on the pumpkin. D46 Okay, time to hit the streets. I got the wagon full of beer and the kids are in their costumes.

“Mommy, I want  a kitty on my pumpkin,” said your daughter, Sofia. “To match my costume.”

“Alright, darling, you’ll have a kitty on your pumpkin,” you assured her. “Rami, is there a stencil for that?”

Rami flipped through the pages of the pumpkin carving kit and stopped when found one.

“Aha!” he said. “Here it is.”

He tore it out and handed it to you.

“Thank you, Daddy!” Sofia said.

Rami kissed her head. Then he looked over at your son, Zach. Zach was significantly older than Sofia because he was your son from a previous relationship. When you and Rami got married, he adopted Zach, and you were so thrilled that they had a good relationship. Zach’s biological father wasn’t in the picture. Rami made every effort to make your son feel loved. When Sofia came along, Zach was so excited to have a sibling. Even though he was fifteen and she was five, they managed to become best friends.

“What’s your plan, Zach?” Rami asked.

“Please don’t carve something inappropriate on the pumpkin,” you said.

“I’m not!” he insisted. “God, Mom, ye of little faith.”

“I just know you,” you returned.

He chuckled. “Relax. I’m just doing a normal jack-o-lantern face.”

“Careful with the knife,” Rami warned him.

“Dad, I got it,” Zach replied.

Rami nodded, pulled Sofia onto his lap, and then guided her through the carving. He didn’t let her hold the knife, but she had her hand on top of his so she felt like she was helping. When the carving was over, you got a picture of the kids with their pumpkins before taking them and placing them on the front porch.

“Okay, you guys go get dressed,” you told them. “I’m gonna clean up a little before we head out.”

“Mommy can I have a piece of candy?” Sofia asked.

“You’ll get plenty of candy tonight,” you said. “That candy is for the kids who come to our house.”

She pouted and then followed her brother. As they walked by the front door on their way up the stairs, you saw Zach swipe a piece from the bowl and sneak it to Sofia, who giggled. You opened your mouth to tell them you saw, but Rami stopped you.

“It’s Halloween, babe,” he said. “Let them have it.”

“He’s spoiling her,” you protested.

“And that makes him different from us how?” he teased, kissing your cheek. “I’m gonna help Sofia get dressed. The wagon is ready to go.”

“Alright, love,” you agreed.

You threw away the newspaper and the guts of the pumpkins before hearing your family thundering back down the stairs. Zach was dressed as a Jedi and Sofia was a black cat. Zach was always sure to never dress as something that could scare his little sister. He almost got a Darth Vader costume, but when he saw her horrified face as she looked at it, he decided against it.

“Okay, time to hit the streets,” Rami said. “I got the wagon full of beer and the kids are in their costumes.”

“Alright!” you said. “You guys look amazing!”

“Let’s go!” Sofia insisted, grabbing her brother’s hand.

You all filed outside, and you left the bowl of candy on a small table. Then, you locked the door and headed toward the street. Rami took your hand, and with the other, he pulled the wagon. You watched your kids ahead of you and you smiled.

“Thank you, Rami,” you said.

“For what?” he wondered, raising an eyebrow.

“For being the best husband and father in the world,” you told him.

You kissed his cheek and he smiled. 

“I love you,” you said.

“I love you too, Y/N,” he returned. “Happy Halloween.”

#rami malek #rami malek imagine #rami malek x reader #rami malek x you #BoRhap #BoRhap cast #borhap boys #borhap imagine #bohemian rhapsody #bohemian rhapsody imagine #borhap cast imagine #borhap cast x reader #borhap boys imagine #borhap boys x reader #freddie mercury #freddie mercury imagine #freddie mercury x you #freddie mercury x reader #hallow-queen

[spirit-of-the-void]

Ebony and Ivory (V x Reader Fanfic) Chapter 40

Author’s notes: Howdy. So this is the ending of Ebony and Ivory, and to be honest I spent a long time working on it. Things have been a bit wild and confusing, especially with how divided people seem on the story ending. But...writing this long ass fanfic for you guys has been a privilege, even through depression and health issues.

The only thing I’m unsure of is if I should write the Vergil ending--because I want to reserve all my vergil energy for the Echo Chamber fic. I’ll let you guys decide--let me know if you still want the alternate ending, cause if so I’ll do my best. Either way, I’ll still be writing Echo Chamber.

Chapter 40

Epilogue

(Several Months later)

You never wanted to get up from your bed.

This was bliss in its truest form, was it not? Waking to warmth, face tucked against the neck of your lover and limbs tangled with the bed sheets. It was another beautiful, sunny day in Fortuna as usual, the sound of waves rolling against the shore and V’s slow breathing the only melody for your ears. Warm, so warm. This had to be heaven--there was doubt that anything else could feel so perfect. You let out a gentle sigh, mind feeling foggy with sleep and body delightedly comfortable as you stretched out along your poet’s form, toes pressing against his bare calves. It was so strange, you had gotten used to V feeling cool and frail for the entire time you traveled to the Qliphoth tree; feeling his warmth and solidity was a gift you would never take for granted again, not after witnessing him crumble his way up to becoming Vergil again.

V was doing better than he ever had, you and Kyrie made sure of that. The motherly woman had been worried upon seeing V’s ribs and rail-thin form, and seemingly made it her sworn duty to get the poet healthy. He learned pretty quick that arguing with her was not the best idea, not once she got rolling. No skipping meals, taking vitamins, listening to you both hounding him and not uttering so much as a peep of complaint. You both only backed off after his bones stopped showing through his skin, letting him decide on his diet after that. Not much had changed--V preferred eating light over big meals, which was understandable with such a new body. Months later and he was looking more lean and healthy, still a lanky man but less frail and with a bit more muscle. That cane was less as a tool to walk with, and more of a conductor's baton he used in battle.

Well-fed and well-rested. As he should be.

You had spoken of what happened in the Qliphoth tree, and to be honest you had forgiven him for everything that transpired before words of apology had left those lovely lips. Understanding could be found--there was  desperation, a need to return to who he was before. All that was gone now, V finally his own person with a full soul on top of it all. The only way to go was up, which you were more than doing. The new time together only strengthened how much you loved him, deepening that bond of trust and acceptance again after the lies and mistakes fractured it. Piece by piece, bit by bit...things were becoming as perfect as they could be, and in the end that was all you wanted. 

The things you once took for granted were now so precious, weren’t they? The feeling of V kissing your fingers, the way his hair felt under your hands. Those jade eyes, his sly smile...having them back felt like a dream, one you never wanted to wake from. It was the little moments of simple, domestic life that seemed so enchanting after he came back, moments you thought would never be had with him. Sharing a cup of coffee on the beach while the sun was still rising, watching him read poetry to the children, helping teach him how to cook with the aid of Kyrie and Nico. He was pretty hopeless in front of a stove before those teachings, but learned very quickly. If you weren’t mistaken, he found a joy for it too--he would sneak peeks at cooking novels and shows on several occasions, and offered to help with dinner often.

Something about it was...very cute.

As for Vergil, he returned back to Devil May Cry with Dante and the women. You were shocked, the spiky-haired male put up no fuss when his brother instructed him to do so, and had apparently put in a lot of effort to make it a functioning business. Not only that, but he had been making a determined effort to be a part of Nero’s life now that everything was said and done. His father and uncle now visited once a week, keeping the kids entertained and staying for dinner to talk and socialize. Kyrie loved it, Nero was undecided, and Nico still hated Vergil’s guts. Dinners were filled with hostile stares from the mechanic, which Vergil easily ignored. Hearing him ask Nero questions about his life, seeing them spar on the beach and Vergil actually trying to teach him things? Odd. But...maybe those trials left their mark, so the Outsider must have done something right.

Speaking of the God, you were back to talking with him. A shrine now rested in an alcove on a nearby cliff, glowing at night with the purple light of lanterns and humming with the Void’s energy. Corvo, as always, managed to talk sense into your father figure--He was there when you spoke last, promising the keep the God behaving while you got your life together. The Outsider wasn’t going to argue it, that much was sure. You thanked him for bringing V back, and managed to repair some of the trust that was lost, bit by bit as you did with V. The shrine was now visited once a week, offers left on its alter and gone the next morning. Food, books, sometimes things you crafted yourself. The Outsider seemed to enjoy food the most--you doubted he got to eat much of anything in a place like that.

Regardless. 

The kids warmed up to V well, easily sensing his uncertainty and all around awkwardness when it came to living normally. They liked being able to teach him things--like how to clean pots properly, how to make s’mores when a bonfire was lit in the backyard. Little things that V didn’t seem to think about or know, either because Vergil didn’t know them or because some things were lost when the two were separated. Being reborn had to be hard, you were always patient with him when a new problem rose up. V didn’t seem to mind either, it made the kids feel super important, like they could sense the poet’s vulnerability. Plus what could be better than having another person in the house to talk and play with? Julio in particular seemed to like the poetry, and asked the goth about it a lot.

Speaking of the kids, you knew that they would be going into town with Kyrie in the morning to practice for their performance in the spring festival. It was starting to get warmer outside bit by bit after winter came and went, but the day would be comfortably warm for the kids as they made props at Madame Elenor’s shop. You could hear them downstairs already, chattering excitedly about the prospect of seeing the other kids in Fortuna, practicing their lines and getting to paint trees and scenery to be moved into the theater at the square. 

Now that you thought about it...almost a year had passed, hadn’t it? Since you were brought to this world.

So much has happened.

So many terrible, wonderful things.

Only this time around, everything is perfect.

You let out a contented sigh, snuggling closer against V’s wiry form and feeling him shift and mumble lightly in his sleep. It was April now, and you planned to go through May and June in peace and delight. Just having these past few months has been so wild, celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New year’s Eve...all the things you were once certain V would never have, but got to have in kind. It was shaping up to be an amazing year, and you were ready for each and every one after that to come. 

That was the thought you drifted in and out of sleep on, knowing full well that you didn’t have to meet up with Kyrie and the others until noon. Nero would be out discussing the next mission with Nico, Dante, and Vergil as well until returning to go out with the rest of you. A day out to lunch was in order, his uncle and father declining the invitation despite how insistently Nero had offered it. Something about working some family things out had been their excuse--you were fairly certain they intended to visit their mother’s grave. Some things were far more important, you could easily understand that. Besides, being around Vergil felt...weird sometimes. Like staring at a painting that once held color, and seeing only black and white.

You tried to shake the thought, realizing for the first time in months you and V had the house to yourselves, peace and quiet reigning supreme once the kids were heading down the street. You loved your new family, you really did, but most mornings were rife with Nico’s invention shenanigans, or the kids finding their energy after breakfast and play-fighting with Nero. To finally be able to lie in bed with V, only the warm breeze drifting through the windows and the sun on your body...it was so nice, and needed. Maybe that was why Kyrie decided she would take the kids there herself, insisting you sleep in after “working so hard with Nero and the others”. Sweet woman, you adored her for that.

Especially when you felt V finally begin to stir, his muscles stretching and a soft groan leaving those beautiful lips. You decided to keep your eyes closed, wanting to savor the moments of relaxation for a little while longer and act like sleep kept you in its gentle grasp. You weren’t disappointed--V’s fingers stroked through your hair, nails tracing feather-light patterns on your scalp before trailing down your neck. If you were a cat, you would have purred at a feeling like that. As it was, you shivered softly in delight as you shifted even closer, one hand gracing his bare chest and over the faded tattoos that rested there.

After everything was said and done, you both shared a connection with the familiars. They generally spent most of their time in V considering he had been lacking in power for those first few months. But being born from the Void had left him with some byproducts, and he was learning how to use them at his own pace and tolerance level. The poet had been astounded at how much it burned to use the abilities of the Void, learning pretty early on that you dealt with it all the time--he didn’t like that, but reluctantly didn’t push things on it further.

The tattoos only extended over his arms and chest now, like sleeves that drifted over his collarbones. It was there that you traced your fingers, feeling his chest rise with a slow breath as your fingers danced a line from there to his stomach, resting there to feel the muscles bunch and relax. He was so sensitive, ticklish--a delightful thing, one learned pretty quickly after shenanigans had broken out on a particular evening. Cute. There were so many things about him now that were absolutely charming.

He let out a low hum, grasping your fingers lightly between his own and lifting them to his face. Those soft lips brushed your knuckles, tender and loving as you kept your eyes closed in an attempt to feign off waking a bit more.

“The sun descending in the west, the evening star does shine,” V murmured against your skin, his other arm wrapping around your waist to tug you closer as he continued, “The birds are silent in their nest, and I must seek for mine.”

You couldn’t help it--a smile broke over your lips, eyelids fluttering open to stare at his face in amusement. He always took your breath away,  a vision of beauty and perfection. His hair was black again with Nightmare’s presence, and the tattoos were dark on one side from housing...was that Griffon this time? You paused, feeling Shadow rouse briefly in your thoughts before plunging back again, giving you both the privacy you so craved. The demons weren’t oblivious, they knew you’d have the house to yourselves come morning.

Regardless, you let out a contented sigh, resting your chin on his chest and staring up at him with adoring eyes as you mumbled sleepily, “Do you intent to wake me every morning to William Blake?”

He grinned at that, tucking a stray hair behind your ear as he replied, “Perhaps. Does it displease you, my little Sparrow?” He kissed the top of your hair, voice rumbling over you as he added, “Would you prefer I wake you to…. other delights?”

Judging by his low, husky tone you knew exactly what these other delights could be. The man was insatiable now that he had this new body and freewill--not that you were complaining. 

“A beast has awakened in my tender poet,” You mumbled, feigning an exaggerated swoon and tucking your face against his neck again, “One that intends to eat me alive, always hungering for my supple flesh….!”

That earned you a low chuckle, V turning and nipping lightly at the skin behind your ear as he growled, “And you call me the dramatic one--you could put writers to shame when you speak in such ways,” Both of his arms wrapped around your waist, breath brushing your ear and making you shiver as he breathed, “Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained.”

Leave it to him to find a poetry quote for everything. But he was right in an odd way--there was no restraining a desire like the one shared between you and the poet. It was a charged energy in the air, one that sent a bolt of arousal right to your core and left you aching in the best way. A soft sound of want left you as he pressed up against your back, his hardness very apparent through the thin fabric of your panties and body  deliciously warm as it cradled yours. Feeling a bit bold, you wiggled against him, smiling when he sucked in a sharp breath and put a very firm hand on your hips to still the movement. There was definitely no room for restraint when you were playing games like that.

He flipped you over in the next instant, your back pressed to the bed and both hands pinned by his as he stared down at you with heady, jade eyes. Your heart picked up its pace immediately at the sight of him, feeling almost dizzy at his beauty. Hair tousled from sleep, eyes hooded and staring at you with the most delicious hunger...Christ, he was so achingly lovely, wasn’t he? Especially with the sun making patterns on him like that, the curtains drifting lightly overhead and stroking his bare shoulders like a lover’s caress. Your face flushed despite how many times you had seen this same view, flustered all over again as he brushed a thumb over those parted lips and released one of your arms.

Oh dear. You could come undone at this rate.

“How I enjoy seeing that,” V whispered softly, shivering when you nipped at his fingers in their exploration, “The way you gaze at me, sparrow...it makes me ache in the best way.”

You smiled, wiggling lightly underneath him and enjoying how desire grew in his expression in response, “I can’t help it...I feel like you get prettier and prettier every day.” 

It wasn’t an understatement, either. Each time you awoke to his loving arms it was like seeing him all over again, overtaken by his lovely face and soft lips. Could you possibly love the man more? You had thought not, but each morning was proving you otherwise. 

V clicked his tongue at your response, seeming doubtful as he kissed a line from your neck down to your chest. He plucked at the straps on the camisole covering the parts of you he desired, pulling them down agonizingly slow until your breasts were bare to the glowing sunlight. You let out a slow exhale, feeling him slide those loving hands up from your stomach to the pert mounds aching for his touch and shivering when he gave each one attention in kind. The idle swirl of his thumb over a nipple, his eyes staring at you with the most unbelievable fascination and desire as he dipped his head to taste as well…

 Christ, you could have come just at that--his tongue was so warm, swirling over the pink tip of your breast and sucking gently until a light mewl of want left your lips. You buried your hands in his silken, ebony locks, eyes closing and head tilting back as you savored the tantalizing sensation of his mouth on your sensitive flesh. He was such a good lover, always loving, always willing to learn and try new things. The past few months had allowed him to come into his desires and sexual preferences bit by bit whenever you both could find the privacy, and that was always enjoyable. He was discovering a preference for being a bit more dominant in bed, which earned zero complaints from your end as well. The idea of V pinning you down and fucking you senseless was definitely an appealing one.

But moments like these, filled with gentle touches and soft exploration...they reminded you so much of that first time, but better. More familiar, more charged than ever before. 

Especially when he finally leaned back, hooking his fingers over the lace of your panties and slowly tugging them down and off. You obediently lifted your legs for him, eyes opening to watch as he tossed the scrap of fabric unceremoniously to a corner of the room. The action almost made you giggle, a smile tugging at your lips at the way he dramatically flung them away. He returned his attention back a moment lady, eyes drinking in the sight of your bare legs and dripping desire waiting for the pleasure you knew would come.

“Pretty and pink,” He murmured, stroking his hands up your thighs and squeezing as he coaxed them apart, “Just for me.”

You let out a low hum in response, shivering when he bent your knees and pressed both thighs back a bit more. Fully exposed to his eyes, glistening in the drifting sunlight and just as he described. The anticipation was killing you--this slow pace was delicious torture, and every second was like heaven and hell in one. But if the past few months had taught you anything, it was that good things came to those who waited.

“What do you have planned for me, slick?” You whispered, biting your lip as he pressed a kiss from your knee then down to your inner thigh. Part of you knew, and the need growing inside was making your toes curl in excitement.

V smirked, raising his eyes from your body as a playful look slipped across his face. He slid one finger idly down your wet folds, smirk growing as your breath hitched and you actively strained to keep your hips pressed against the mattress. Infuriating man, he knew exactly what effect he had over you, and exploited it in kind.

“I’m simply playing my part, Sparrow,” He replied in a husky tone, swirling a finger over your sensitive clit and down to your entrance in one tantalizing movement, “Hungering for your supple flesh...a beast with the intentions of eating you alive. Who will save this fairest of damsels from me? Surely no one is around to hear your screams for help.”

You giggled at V’s low, ominous growl, squeaking when he pressed his fingers against that sensitive spot and jolting you in place. Very sensitive, very needy.

“Bold of you to assume I’ll scream for help…” You breathed, voice trailing off in a soft whimper as he continued those slow rotations of his fingers. Each touch made you ache, throbbing and wanting to reach that peak only he could bring. But V was purposely drawing it out, finding amusement in your response and pausing for a moment in his actions.

The dark-haired male grinned, eyes meeting yours like a predator ready to devour his prey as he let out a low purr of, “Oh, you’ll be screaming alright.”

Please--My heart will stop if you keeps saying things like that.

But you didn’t get to say that out loud. V dipped his head down in the next moment, spreading your glistening folds with his fingers as he stroked a tongue over your aching flesh. Your hips jolted on their own, a soft whimper leaving you as he started devouring you just as promised. Slowly, carefully, taking his sweet time and savoring at his own pace. It took every ounce of control to keep your thighs in place, trembling lightly with the strain of not moving. Restraint? What was that again? Your thighs were strong, you didn’t want to accidentally crush him between them with how fantastic he was making you feel. Stroke after stroke of his tongue, warm and wet as he teased your clit and swirled over your aching entrance. 

Too much, not enough. You arched into his touch, soft moans leaving your lips and fingers gripping the bed sheets. What a wicked man you were in love with, bringing you slowly to the edge of pleasure with his tongue and not swayed by your soft pleas for more, for faster movements and more pressure. So close, fuck I’m already so close. He knew it too, a pleased hum leaving his throat and sending delicious vibrations over your clit as he sucked it between his lips.

“V...V…” You whimpered, fingers slipping into his silken locks to tug lightly as he continued to pleasure you right on the edge of that peak, “I need…please…”

The poet’s eyes practically rolled back in his head when you pulled his hair, knowing full well how much he loved it. That encouragement was just what V needed, his jade eyes meeting yours briefly before he tugged you closer, fingers gripping your thighs hard as he stroked his tongue over your clit, swirling and sucking with enough pressure to wring a cry from your lips. You were prone and gasping as he had his wicked way, hands grasping the poet’s head and thighs shaking as that peak grew and grew with his actions. Unrelenting, you were coming undone again. It was a good thing no one was home, because you couldn’t be quiet no matter how hard you tried. At least an attempt was made, but that wasn’t what V wanted. The ruthless man loved nothing more than to hear you wail with satisfaction, body writhing as he made you come on his tongue and fingers.

Which is exactly what he did.

Your head tilted back as you finally crested, something close to a sob of relief and pleasure bursting from your lungs and thighs shaking as he held them in place, “V…!”  It felt good, so good your toes curled and hips arched into his touch. He was doing a number on your heart, that was for sure--it was pounding in your chest, especially when V continued to tease and stroke his tongue over your flesh, not having his fill until you were whimpering and writhing from too much stimulation. Only then did he pull back, jade eyes staring at your spent form with satisfaction and amusement. He licked his glistening lips, wiping them with those elegant fingers and staring at the traces of your arousal left behind. That expression almost looked smug.

The poet’s gaze traveled over your form, taking in your chest as it rose and fell with each breath, face flushed as you slung an arm over your eyes. What a way to start your morning, listening to the waves crash onto the sand outside and feeling the most unbelievable pleasure from the man you loved...what a gift, one you would cherish every day until the end of time. To have him here after months of feeling like you wouldn’t, reminded again and again that this was reality...it made the bad times seem so far away, like a dream long forgotten in the realm of waking.

V seemed to understand, even when you didn’t say it. He leaned over your body in the next moment, pulling your arm away so his lips could find purchase. You sighed in delight, kissing back and wrapping both arms around his neck as you shared a moment of peace and tenderness.

“Still with me, love?” V murmured, a grunt leaving him when you wrapped both legs around his waist, thighs squeezing lightly, “Ah...gentle now, darling...I’m not done with you yet.”

He must certainly wasn’t. You kissed a line from his cheek to that sharp jawline, biting down lightly where neck met shoulders. V shuddered at your touch, gasping when you stroked a leg over his hard length, fully erect after taking so much time eating you out. Someone was certainly eager, weren’t they? You doubted he wanted to wait any longer, especially not with you grinding on him like that.

“I’m all yours,” You murmured, stroking a hand through his hair and giving it a light tug. He groaned immediately, head resting on your shoulders and breath coming faster, “Do you like that?”

V gripped your hip with one hand, bracing his weight on the other as he murmured, “I do...quite a bit.” 

Such a far cry from the bashful way he admitted it the first time around--now honest with desire and wants, needy as he leaned into each and every touch. You had learned so much about what he liked, what parts of that lovely body were the most sensitive. His fingers, shoulders, neck, hair, spine...all the best spots to kiss and touch, scraping your nails over the shoulder blades of his back and sucking the skin on his neck. That was going to leave a hickey, there was no doubt. But it would be yours to see, a secret. 

“S...sparrow...Y/N…” V groaned, grinding his length over your slick heat and making you both pause at the sensation of it, “Are you...can I…?”

“Please.”

It was all the affirmation he required, V rising from you to position his hips right where he needed them to be. You eagerly tilted your legs back again, spread and wanting for his cock. An invitation, one he would never ignore. What did you look like in his eyes, right at that moment? Hair still messed up from sleep, breasts bare and body in a position that was clearly meant for him and him alone. All yours, always. The poet almost looked ...entranced by the sight, bowing his head over you as the tip of his hard length pressed to your entrance, slick with the arousal left from your previous orgasm and finding no resistance. A breath passed between you both as he slipped inside, groan breaking past his lips while you took him inch by inch. Wet enough that it was an easy slide, body trembling eagerly as he filled you up in the best way.

This felt so right, like it always did. Two puzzle pieces meeting together, like your souls were meant for each other. 

A low groan escaped his parted lips, body pausing for a moment to feel your wet heat. You stared at his face in a mixture of desire and wonderment, loving how pleasure influenced his expression and made his hand grip your wrist ever so tighter. Even after all these months, your poet was so careful with you--waiting so there was time to adjust, your body relaxing around his cock and aching to feel him pound into you like before. You squeezed your legs around his waist for a moment, hips rising off the bed to grind encouragingly against his length. Such actions only elicited a gasp from you both, V’s head tilting back to show the smooth expanse of his throat and the slight bob of his adam’s apple upon swallowing. Such a pretty boy, struggling for control. You liked seeming him unrestrained every once in a while, but when he was trying to stay on his best behavior…

“So bashful,” You murmured, biting your lip when he tilted his jade eyes down to meet yours, “What happened to not restraining desire? Prove me wrong, Shakespeare.”

V let out a low, breathless chuckle at your challenge, leaning do so his nose lightly brushed yours. Breaths mingling in the air between, both bodies trembling with the need to seek pleasure in one another. His hips pressing on yours freed a whimper in your chest, resisting the urge to grind your clit against his skin. 

“Ask me nicely, Sparrow,” He breathed, nipping softly at your lips while he continued to rub his body lightly against yours. Just enough friction to not be enough. Your breath was hitching in response, toes pressing into his lower back to urge on what you knew he wanted to, but purposely denied, “And I’ll indulge us both. Honesty would do us both good, wouldn’t you agree?”

You flushed at his coy, strained smile, those jade eyes firm and far more unyielding as you whimpered, “You are the worst, you know that right--ahhh...”

Your words slipped into a soft moan when he retreated a bit, thrusting in once more before pausing his hips. Damn it. You knew what he wanted--V always loved making you say things that made you blush. He grinned, as if sensing your thoughts and enjoying them in kind. Mischief played a part in the desire now--this was payback for every time you cock-teased him in the past few months, there was no doubt about that. 

“Mmmm…” V hummed, lifting one of your hands and nibbling on each finger in order as he replied softly, “Perhaps I am, but acknowledging that isn’t getting you any closer to having me...is it?”

So smug, so cocky.

Your resolve was far weaker than his patience, tempered by neediness and desire. Especially when he was grinding on you like that, pausing right when pleasure started to build and leaving you aching. His elegant fingers decided to fondle your breasts, teasing the stiff peaks until you were practically squirming. Right how he wanted you.

Face flushed, one hand raised to cover his jade eyes as he chuckled lightly in victory, your lips parted to utter softly and desperately, “Pl...please...fuck me...V...Please…?”

He let out a pleased purr, pulling your hand off to see just how flustered you were and grinning in delight. A kiss to your warm cheek followed, V cupping your jaw with gentle fingers as he whispered, “So precious...you can take me making love to you every night yet cannot utter those simple words without embarrassment?”

Something about it felt a lot different than acting on instinct--begging always made you feel bashful, especially when he wanted it. 

“Hush,” You muttered, pressing both hands to V’s cheeks like it would somehow convey your growing sense of need, “No more teasing, just--”

Your words were cut off in a sharp gasp when V finally yielded to your demands, hip snapping back before plunging in with one fluid movement. Blessedly--you could have sobbed in relief when the motion continued. Right there, just like that. He seemed to be done with the shenanigans too, drawing your arms around his neck with one hand and bracing with the other. Unrelenting now, lips capturing yours in a frenzied kiss while his cock plunged in and out of your aching sheath. It was definitely good that you both were home alone, because the lewd sounds you were making would definitely be heard by others. As it stood, anyone who walked down the beach could run the chance of hearing, but you didn’t care.

You bit down on V’s shoulder, kissing the mark a moment later and trailing those same kisses up to his neck. Something about V awash in pleasure and lust was poetic in its own right. Gorgeous, breathtaking. He was releasing sounds of pleasure, gasps and groans that vibrated deliciously against your eardrums.  No longer bashful like that first time, noises released without hiding and face pressing to your shoulder. His cock throbbed inside, growing closer and closer to filling you with his cum with each frenzied grind of V’s hips. You wanted it, needed it, craved it. Ever part of you now strained for that second release, wanting to make him feel good too.

“Y/N…” V rasped, a heady moan leaving his lips as both hands entered his hair for a firm yank, “Just like that...I’m so close, dearest Sparrow…”

You let out a soft whimper, squeezing tighter around him and keeping that firm hold on his silken locks, “Come for me...Give me all of it, sweetheart.”

Your own orgasm was fast approaching, cresting when V tilted your hips a bit further back in his thrusts and stroked those beautiful fingers over your clit. Fuck--A sharp cry left your lips, hands gripping the poet’s hair hard as wave after wave of pleasure washed over you. After the first orgasm, this one made your legs quake with the level of stimulation and muscles clench inside. Almost too much, right on the cusp of how much rapture you could stand. It spiraled V into his own pleasure, slender hips stuttering and a breathy groan brushing by your ear as his hot load spilled in spurts. Your eyes practically rolled back in your head, body arching up to take all he had to offer and chest rising and falling in gasps. 

A gentle breeze drifted through the window as V slumped over, careful not to put all his weight on your resting body. It seemed so serene for a moment, your eyes drifting open to see the white curtains still swaying over you both, V’s shoulders rising and falling with his slowing breaths. Peaceful...tender, just as it should have been. Everything felt so unbelievably perfect, your body wonderfully spent and enjoying the fading throb of pleasure as you stroked a hand through V’s silken hair. He was your everything, every hope and desire and happiness wrapped into one bundle of a man. In that heartbeat of time, you felt so incredibly blessed, like a thousand years of lost happiness were nothing compared to what you got to share with him. All the loss, all the pain...they were a flickering, dying candle compared to the flame he kindled within.

Happy...you were so happy tears threatened to spring to your eyes.

You released a contented sigh, holding V in a tender embrace as you both caught your breath. Hours could have passed without caring, but...it took only a few minutes to gather everything back. There were still things that needed to be done, after all. Your poet was the first to raise his head, jade eyes meeting your gaze with an expression that took your breath away--One of absolute love and adoration, V staring at you like the entire world rested in your vision. A pleased rumbled left his chest, black hair swaying slightly as he leaned down to kiss your lips like you were air after years of suffocating. Such a kiss said a lot, more than any words could. 

“Thank you,” He murmured against your mouth, peppering kisses from there to your jaw as he continued softly, “For loving me despite...everything.”

You hummed lightly at that, pressing both hands to his cheeks so he could meet an adoring gaze of your own. He was always saying things of such a nature, as if he had something to prove or loving him was somehow difficult.

“You make it easy,” Another kiss to his lips, this one short and quick, “I would love you no matter what, V. You know that right?”

Even if you betrayed me again.

Even if things fall to pieces.

You are the reason I breathe.

V wrapped both arms around you, pressing his forehead to yours as the words hung in the air for a few seconds. What was that expression he wore on his face? Something between thankfulness and...regret. Was he thinking of what happened in the Qliphoth tree again, about the moments he lied to you and became Vergil again? It had never clicked before, but...if V had been awake and present, he saw every reaction you had, every tear and heartache. It would explain why he couldn’t let go of his guilt, or why he felt the need to thank you every day for staying with him.it was so hard to move past all of that, but...you did have four months to work things out with friends and family while Vergil spent it all in hell.

Regardless...you knew these things could be worked on with time, and V was more than worth the effort.

So you smiled, pressing a light kiss to V’s nose before pulling back and reaching for the phone resting on your window sill. V took the hint pretty easily, letting out a quiet yawn as he pulled away and stretched his long arms over his head. You tried not to stare, really you did--but christ, he was so lovely. His muscles bunching and relaxing, skin of his shoulders marked with your kisses and bites... We have things to do today, no staying in bed. The movement slipped his length from your body, causing a light shiver and sigh in response while you say up as well. Making love in the morning was nice, but you would both need a shower after throwing the sheets in the washer. A small price to pay, one that you were willing to deal with. 

V took up the task of cleaning you up at the very least, leaving the bed briefly to get a washcloth from the bathroom cabinet. It gave ample opportunity to stare at his cute little butt as he departed, which was an absolute delight. He smirked at you on the way down, not oblivious to your wandering eyes in the slightest. Some forethought made him grab sweatpants from the banister before heading toward the door, which was probably for the best--on the off chance someone came home early, seeing him naked would not be ideal.

Upon a brief glance at your phone, you saw it was ten thirty in the morning, giving plenty of time to shower and get ready for lunch at noon. There would be no viable excuse for being late, and it would be rude to the children on top of all of that. You never wanted to upset or disappoint them after all the terrible things that happened all those months ago, so it was the bare minimum you could do. A yawn left your own lips, flopping back on the bed and counting each peaceful second as it passed. Some time out in the city would be lovely, wouldn’t it? The smiling faces of your friends, delicious meal at a local cafe or restaurant...perfect. Everything felt like heaven.

It was on that thought that V returned, cleaning you up and helping gather the sheets to throw in the washer. You smiled when your gazes met, gathering clothes to wear out and heading for the stairs.

“I’m going to shower,” You announced to him, feeling his eyes on your ass as well while pulling on a light robe for modesty, “We should hurry up and get ready to meet Kyrie.”

V let out a low hum of agreement, footfalls following close behind as you entered the hallway, “Maybe we should bathe together, my sparrow?” He leaned over your shoulder, pressing a light kiss to your ear as he whispered, “I believe it will be beneficial to us both.”

Of course he would think that. You giggled lightly, turning around to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

“Depends on how quickly you get those clothes in the washer, slim,” You breathed, pinching his cheek with gentle fingers, “And only if you promise to be on your best behavior.”

V’s returning smirk was downright evil, jade eyes meeting yours as he stroked his fingers over you chin.

“Oh darling...you and I both know I am a gentleman before anything else.”

(Nero POV)

Nero had never been so glad to get out of a meeting early.

He and Nico were already driving back through the streets of Fortuna, heading for  Madame Elenor’s considering they were able to head home earlier than expected. Honestly, why had they bothered coming by in the first place? The maps could have been sent via photo or email, but Dante and Vergil didn’t seem to have a god damn brain cell between them. His uncle in particular had a cell phone and an ancient computer, but only used the phone to play a really shitty version of tetris. As for his father...well. Spending so long in hell and other places had left him a bit out of tune with technology.

Regardless, they had gotten the needed information on the coming mission and swung back to catch the earliest ferry home. Dante and Vergil had been arguing about flowers of all things as Nero left, which Nico had agreed was incredibly strange. Neither of the two had any idea why the older men had flaked on what would be a friendly lunch in Fortuna, but whatever it was had them in...a bit of a mood. Nero wanted no part of it, and had practically dragged Nico out the door once the bare minimum amount of information had been met. Location? Check. Client? Check. Demon types they would be facing? You bet your ass that was another check on the list. And from there he would leave the planning to Dante and Vergil before they actually set out. 

For now, he would stop by the shop and see how the kids were doing in their crafting efforts. Then the whole group could walk to whatever restaurant they decided on, maybe settle the day off with some time swimming on the beach or a bonfire. After the past week of work and demon hunting, some relaxation wouldn’t hurt anybody--hell, even Nico seemed excited at the prospect of having some free time to sunbathe, claiming she needed to work on her tan and rest her weary fingers. Nero wanted nothing more than to have some time with his wife, seeing her beautiful hair glow in the sun and a bathing suit…

He flustered himself a bit. She was so lovely it made him crazy.

“Jeez, it’s so obvious when you’re thinking about Kyrie,” Nico’s loud complaint made him jolt, looking over from the passenger side of the van to see her shutting off the engine and smirking mischievously, “You always get the goofiest, dopey smile on your face.”

He tried to scoff and play it off as nonchalantly as possible, but it was hard when his cheeks and ears were still tinged pink. Plus he doubted there was getting past Nico’s eagle eyes no matter how hard he tried.

“Lay off, Nico,” He huffed, scratching the back of his head and ignoring her chortles as he hopped out of the van, “So I love my wife--sue me.”

“You sure fuckin’ do, psycho,” Nico snickered, whapping him a little too hard on the back. Meanwhile, her other hand pocketed the keys to her van in those usual shorts she wore, “Just make sure to put on sunscreen today--Kyrie ain’t gonna fuck a tomato and I can’t see your sorry ass blush when you’re burnt like a marshmallow.”

She was certainly relentless in the insults today. Nero tried not to get more flustered, instead rolling his eyes in response to her taunts and pulling open the door to the Madame’s shop. The front windows were lined with costumes and small set pieces, a little bell jingling above them to sound of their arrival. It would seem Eleanor closed her shop early to make time for the kids, a “closed” sign hanging in plain view. But the door had been left unlocked for them, so Nero and Nico started making their way past the lines of costumes to the back area where they knew the kids would be hard at work.

“Madame…! How does it look?”

“Kyrie, I can’t find the pink paint!”

“I have the paint, sweetie--you’re painting trees right now, you need green.”

The children’s excited voices clamored within earshot, making Nero smile and press through the doorway. They were met with a medium sized room with sewing materials, an open archway leading to an open courtyard lined with cut out prop pieces being painted by the group of eager kids. The ones from their orphanage were here, mingling with some kids Nero only vaguely recognized from seeing them occasionally around the city. It was nice--seeing the young ones they cared about spending some time with others their age was a nice change of pace. Nero was also surprised to see you and V here earlier than them--this was one of the few days no one would be home all morning without interruption, so the fact that you were already present was unexpected. You were cross-legged on the floor, helping Emma with her brushstrokes and smiling cheerfully.

Even more surprising was V, hoisting a child up on his shoulders so they could reach the very top of a tree with green paint. He wore an apron over his black button up shirt and grey slacks, but it didn’t save his face from being smeared with some color. The poet didn’t seem to mind, nodding along to whatever the boy was saying and calmly replying to his questions with a small smile. As for Kyrie, she was on her knees beside Julio and Carlo, tracing a template for them to paint on and showing them the proper way to mix colors for what they needed. And boy if Nero wasn’t so smitten, seeing her hair pulled into a messy bun, hands stained with the colors of a rainbow and eyes filled with love and adoration for the kids.

God damn he was so lucky.

Nico rolled her eyes at the dopey look on his face, brushing past him just as Madame Elenor stood from her corner with the other kids, walking over with a limp in her step and wiping paint on the apron she also wore. The children from the orphanage waved and yelled in excitement when they saw Nero and the mechanic, but were so focused on their tasks that they didn’t get up. Which was for the best--they were covered in paint all over their little hands, and he would rather not clean purple and green out of his good clothes. Instead, the white haired boy smiled at his wife, turning away from her gaze to greet the woman helping the kids with this project.

“Nero, so glad you could join us,” The Elderly woman greeted him with a warm smile, wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth as she grasped his hands, “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

The Madame had always been an incredibly kind woman. Getting up there in years, old age starting to slow her down a bit but not stopping the creativity and hard work. Nero could respect that.

He smiled lightly in response, wincing a bit at the sight of paint now on his fingers once she pulled away. Figures, “Thanks for helpin’ out with the kiddos, they’re having a good time,” Laughter punctuated his words, making the two look up and see Julio and Carlo giggling as they smeared paint on their faces. Kyrie chasing after with a handkerchief, of course, “The play too. Can’t remember the last time the theater set up anything worth doing.”

The elderly woman snorted, rolling her eyes as she settled on a nearby workbench to rest her weary legs, “Certainly. Making costumes for period dramas grew very tiresome--it’s a lot more energetic to work with the younglings.”

That was definitely an understatement. The devil hunter doubted the old woman had this much excitement in a while. But she seemed pleased about all of the activities going on, pale blue eyes tired but happy as she watched the kids make quick work of another prop, setting it up to dry in the wind and sun. Kyrie helped steady a little girl’s brushstrokes, the light making her hair glow a beautiful shade of auburn as she asked you a question. And that was a nice change of pace too--seeing you in such high spirits, smile no longer tampered by grief or pain and glowing bright as well. You seemed to be in your element among the kids, patient and kind enough to answer all their questions and help when needed. Very similar to his wife in a lot of ways--she had been a very good teacher, after all.

Nero let out a low sigh, leaning against the doorway and folding his arms as he watched the peaceful scene continue. Madame Elenor followed his stare, an amused grin tilting her lips as he kept a watchful gaze on his wife and family. The adoration and devotion was very apparent.

“I’m glad to see you’re finally settling down,” The woman commented, drawing Nero’s attention away briefly and meeting his gaze, “You were such a rebellious teenager--Kyrie is very good for you, such a kind and peaceful woman...her mother was the same way.”

She was one of the few people that didn’t tell Nero that Kyrie was too good for him, something he appreciated. As for her mother...he remembered her kindness too, and it was not lost on him.

So he let out a slow breath, smiling ruefully and scratching the back of his head, “I’m a lucky guy, there’s no mistake there...I don’t know what I would do without her.” She really was something special, carrying so much love and kindness in her body he sometimes wondered if there was any room for hate or animosity. Even when things upset her, she bounced back so fast he often wondered if she hid things away as to not burden others. But there was always communication, always talking with him and explaining how she felt about certain things. 

There was always trust, and he needed that more than anything.

Elenor let out a pleased hum at his response, nodding a few times and pushing her glasses up a bit. Those pale blue eyes scanned the courtyard, watching as you and V started helping pull a tarp over one of the dried prop pieces, kids standing all around to aid. Nero wasn’t watching her expression then, more focused on making sure none of the kids were doing anything to hurt themselves or spilling any paint on their clothes. The children from the orphanage still had to go out to lunch after this, but the other kids would be picked up by parents and family members. So focused as he was, he didn’t notice the curious look on the Madame’s face, the searching one as she kept her eyes on you. Observing as you laughed, picking up one of the kids and pressing a kiss to their cheek.

So that’s why it surprised him when the elderly woman spoke again, her voice low and thoughtful as she murmured, “Your other friend is like her mother too.”

That certainly made Nero blink. He turned, staring at the Madame in confusion and seeing a faraway look in her eyes, one of remembrance and wistfulness. What the hell was she talking about? There was no way she could have known your mother, right?

“What do you mean…?” Nero asked slowly, brow furrowed as the Madame turned to meet his perplexed gaze. 

She pursed her lips, head tilted in your direction as another prop was covered slowly and carefully, “I never forget a face, you know that,” The elder locked her eyes on you again, frowning now as she watched the children interact and clamor in excitement, “Even one I’ve seen a long time ago--I can remember the faces of Kyrie’s parents perfectly, and I remember another face too. A woman used to come into my shop years ago, a year before you were even at the orphanage I think...she looked just like Y/N, spitting image.”

...What?

Nero stared in blank shock, brain not sure what to do with the information and halting like the screeching of tires. Someone who was the spitting image of you in this city, before he was even born? But...how was that possible? Surely not, there was no way you would have a parent in Fortuna, that was very clear after all the information they learned about your past. Even while not knowing anything about your family, you were firm in the fact that it was a different dimension entirely. Wisps of memories, small feelings and Foresight told the truth in your statements--not to mention the fact that the Outsider changed your appearance after your first death to distance you from the life you lead. A fresh start, an entirely new you--even your name had been picked by him. From what you could gather, your parents lived in a small town anyway, not a city. So...how?

How could someone be here that looked just like you? Maybe the elder had finally gone senile, maybe it was just a simple mistake? But...practically everyone in Fortuna knew of her memory. Hell, the old woman could recall days from his childhood that blurred even for Kyrie and himself. Faces, names, events...Old age never soured her mind, not for a second. Conviction was in her tone, eyes firm and certain as she stared at you, like seeing a memory from long...long ago.

But...that couldn’t be right.

This didn’t make sense.

You said you’d never been to Fortuna before, this dimension before.

So...why?

Nero’s tongue felt glued to the roof of his mouth, heartbeat starting to pick up while his head tried to piece things together, bit by bit. You were prone to having your memory erased, right? So...maybe you had been to this place before, without even realizing it? It was possible, especially with how unpredictable the Outsider was. But...didn’t the God only erase your memories with trauma? And what could he have sent you to do in Fortuna at the time? The Order of the Sword hadn’t been affected, and no big events had gone on until they were taken down. Not unless there was an event you did manage to prevent, one he didn’t know about.

 The devil hunter couldn’t find it in himself to reply, even as the Madame continued on wistfully in her story. And as the words continued to flow, his trepidation grew in spades, like icy fingers tapping their way along his spine.

“Timid little thing, she came in a few times to help me with odd jobs in return for coin and food,” The Madame sighed, closing her tired eyes and pausing briefly as she remembered the past, “She started coming by less and less, spending time with a tall, cloaked sword-wielding man walking the streets. An outsider like herself, I think. And then...well, I stopped seeing her at all. I got worried for a little while that something had happened to her after rumors circled the town but…”

The Madame shrugged, smile returning as she watched you hug Kyrie around the waist and giggle about whatever joke was said, “Her daughter is alive and well, a very kind person. If she turned out this way, I have no doubt that her mother ended up safe as well--I imagine the cloaked man she was with must have got her off the island before the Order fell...I just wished she would stop by and say hello before then.” 

A...cloaked man?

Rumors?

The woman slowly rose to her feet, wincing when her bones creaked and ached in protest, “I’ll have to ask your friend about her parents another day, when things aren’t quite so busy. It’s strange...she shares the same name as her mother too, which is a bit...odd. But she’s far too young to be the same woman.”

She didn’t notice Nero’s frozen expression, especially not when a couple kids ran up to her and loudly asked for help with a prop. Walking away before any more questions could be asked, things seeming to pass in slow motion for a brief second. He wasn’t able to move, watching numbly as she was pulled away by tiny hands, chuckling lightly at their enthusiasm. Things seemed so normal in comparison to the new truth laid at his feet--the kids didn’t notice Nero leaning against the doorway, a hand on his mouth and posture frozen in place. Nor did you, V, or Kyrie. All so focused on the task at hand, while he was left wondering just what the fuck was going on.

The elderly woman’s words had...struck a heavy chord of unease, one that gripped him in its tight vise and refused to let go no matter how hard Nero tried. 

His mind was working overtime, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on with so little information in front of him. Same name, same face...that had to be you, right? What the hell happened to you in Fortuna all those years ago, if he was to believe what Elenor claimed to be true? If you could travel from dimension to dimension, what was stopping the chance of going to a certain place twice? It was completely probable that Fortuna could have been one of your mission places, but...maybe you had failed? Something traumatic must have happened, and you had each memory erased. The Order of the Sword could have been a big target, but…

But.

The timing of it...was far too uncomfortable for Nero’s liking.

A lot of these things were.

Nero’s brain was connecting things he absolutely should not be trying to connect--but it wouldn’t stop, it refused to. Not with this new information, not with things he had felt on the edge of his consciousness for a long...long time.

He had heard rumors too...hadn’t he? When trying to figure out the identity of his parents as a teenager, asking anyone who would listen if they could remember anyone dropping a baby off at the orphanage. Claims ranging from it maybe being a teenage mother who made a mistake, him being a cursed twin left by a frightened family. Ect, ect. But...those all came up empty. And besides, he had demonic blood in his veins, so anything stating he came from normal humans was implausible anyway. No, he only took to heart things that could actually depict something other than human.

And a couple tales came to mind. Not ones he heard while searching out his parents, but rather things heard in passing. Demon attacks were a common thing in the city until the Order fell, but people who actually held their own against the creatures outside of said Order were...rare. Nero remembered tales of an inhuman man in a cloak who once traveled the city streets for a short time, witnesses seeing him take out demons with speed and precision no mere mortal could have. As a teenager, it had all seemed so silly--why should he think that this man had to be his father, especially with nothing to go on? This apparent stranger came and went in a matter of a couple months, leaving no trace behind.

In retrospect...that did sound like Vergil, a lot like Vergil. Tall, cloaked, deadly and precise. Wielding a sword, obviously. But...Nero hadn’t put much thought into the stranger’s companion this late in his life, not when he was still trying to grasp the fact that he had a father in the first fucking place.

Less was known about her--a lady in red, according to a few passing voices that could barely recall the tales. After all, why did such things matter years later? Those people were gone, but some fleeting memories remained. Coming and going from Fortuna was incredibly rare, outsiders stuck out like a sore thumb and were generally met with wariness and fear back then. Some rumors claimed she was human, but a few more...a few more mentioned powers too, didn’t they? He had waved those away--he was mostly human, right? Mostly human meant only partial demon, the woman had to be human.

Had to be.

Right?

But…

The timeline...the timeline. It fit, didn’t it? This woman who looked like you was in Fortuna before he was in the Orphanage, a year before. Around the time Vergil was in Fortuna, a tall, cloaked man with a sword. There was no fucking way that could be anyone else, right? You already stated your age was a question mark after traveling for the Outsider for so long, and visiting to the same dimension twice without remembering it was...plausible. If something trauma based had happened to you in Fortuna...it would explain why you disappeared without warning, especially when he considered the fact that you had not been with his father when all the conflict between him and Dante had occurred. At least...that’s what he assumed.

Vergil would have remembered your face, though, wouldn’t he? But...his father claimed to have lost memories after a particularly bad run in with Mundus, avoiding the topic like the plague and growing agitated whenever Nero brought it up. So the younger Sparda learned to stop asking about it, not wanting to fuck things up when the once-surly male was clearly trying his best. Although that was what he claimed, Nero had always felt there might have been more knowldge to find, especially with the mentioned trials.

Thinking back on it...Nero’s foreboding grew in spades, leaps, and bounds.

You had eventually spoken of what happened in the Void, Vergil forced to go through three trials in punishment for his actions. The first was reliving the trauma of his mother’s death, the second seeing what happened with Mundus and becoming Nelo Angelo. And the third...well, your memory went blank at the third, fairly certain that the Outsider took your memory of it, but not knowing why. It was of little consequence at the time--you were just happy to have V back, and didn’t put any thought into it.

Nero had asked his father in passing about it, and V too since they seemed to share memories. Both clammed up at the third trial, Vergil stating curtly that it was a part of his past he’d rather not repeat aloud or bring into light, and V...well, V replied that Vergil’s memories weren’t his to share, nor were his traumas or mistakes. And it ended with that, Nero shrugging it off just as easily now that things had seemingly grown so calm.

But now...less calm. There was a reason your memory of the third trial had been removed, especially if that reason was…

That’s not possible.

 Nero turned, stalking back into the shop before anyone could notice the growing look of panic and confusion on his face. Both hands ran through his hair, heart pounding in his ears as he walked out to the van and leaned against its metal form, trying to talk out of his own reasoning and just carrying the disbelief and fear in circles. Not many people were on this street so early in the day, more than likely on the square or on the beach so there would be no one to see him trying to collect himself.

Vergil wasn’t the type to screw around with multiple women, that was obvious. But he was the type to reluctantly start traveling with one, maybe get too close. If something bad happened, if you had died...there would be no memory, no trace, no knowing him. Maybe no knowledge of having a...

There is no fucking way.

Nero felt his blood run cold, brain scrambling with this knowledge and sending off several warning bells that made him feel sick to his stomach. There was no way, right? This was stupid, foolish, idiotic--his head was just doing things it shouldn’t connecting dots that weren’t there.

As hard as he tried to tell himself that...the seed of doubt had been planted, and it was flourishing. He couldn’t even form the proper words or coherent thoughts, unable to even comprehend it. His friend, his best friend...the same one he had laughed with at home, messing up your hair, calling each other “jackass” at any given moment, flinging food at the dinner table. The one who he watched fall apart in the Qliphoth, who he had carried home and helped build back up for so long. There was no way that you could be his...no. That wasn’t possible, and as much as he wanted to ask…

He couldn’t, could he?

Memories of trauma were taken for a reason. According to you, the Outsider only took things that were too overwhelming for you to handle. Things that could break you, weights to heavy to bare. If he asked you about it, made you remember something on accident…That wasn’t a risk that could be taken. But there were other ways to find out, right? Maybe that would be best, a simple DNA test without your knowledge could easily show him that this theory was foolish and contrived, take the burden off his shoulders and allow things to continue in peace as they were.

But...what if it only proved the truth? Would he be able to keep treating you like a friend as before, would he even be able to look at you the same way?

He couldn’t live with this ignorance...somehow, not knowing seemed worse.

I need to know. I need to be sure.

Even if it changes things...I spent so long not knowing.

Now that the thought is there...I need to do something or else it’ll get worse.

And even if he did find out it was true, what did he have to change? His mind was starting to calm, looking for reason and stability anywhere he could find it. You were his best friend, incredibly kind and caring to everyone around--even in the Qliphoth, making sure people were eating, encouraging him when it seemed like no one else would. If the truth came to light that after all this time, after all the wondering, hate, and resentment that maybe he wasn’t an unwanted child...It was startling, it went against everything he taught himself. If you had died, if you didn’t remember anything...it was very possible that he had been loved, right? You definitely weren’t the type to just throw away your flesh and blood, there was so much love in your heart, like Kyrie. But...it made sense if things happened outside of your control, a tragedy. 

If he found out that...you were his mother, after all this time...then wouldn’t that be a relief? To know his mother was just a timid, lost girl under the guidance of a distrustful God, one who went through something terrible and wasn’t able to keep him--compared to all the ideas of him being abandoned for being partially demon, of his mother not wanting him, this was a blessing in comparison. And he could hold his tongue, bottle it all in even if he knew the truth. Because at the end of the day, you had always been family, his friend...All he wanted was the truth, and if he could get it then that would be enough.

I was wrapped in a cloth when Kyrie’s mother found me on the doorstep, dry despite the rain. The cloth was stained in blood, like whoever gave birth had me and dropped me off not long after.

Nero made up his mind, resolve snapping in place like steel chords inside and binding every decision in place. By the time Kyrie emerged with the kids an hour later, he had a casual smile on his face again, all the traces of panic and confusion tampered down even when you emerged with an arm locked around V. Smiling, happy, greeting him with a nudge of your elbow and a teasing comment about Vergil and Dante giving him a hard time. No one would notice anything was amiss with him, at least...that’s what he hoped.

“...Nero?”

The white-haired boy paused, lagging behind the group a bit as they started walking toward the square. You and Nico holding the kids hands, Kyrie pulling Nero’s arm with her gentle fingers and staring at him in worry.

But all he could muster was a small smile, leaning down to kiss the top of her head while pulling her along toward the others.

“Later, I promise.”

Kyrie’s eyes missed nothing, but this wasn’t something he could talk with her about, not yet at least. He needed to be certain, things needed to be proven and solid first. If the white-haired boy discovered that his theories were wrong and just his brain foolishly searching for what wasn’t there...well, he would tell his wife and have a little laugh, and maybe wonder about what happened to you in Fortuna all those years ago. She only nodded at his words, still seeming concerned but lacing her fingers with his as they caught up to the group just as they were deciding on the restaurant. You briefly looked at him, as if sensing his off mood yourself, but...knew not to say anything.

If it was the truth...Nero would tell Kyrie, warn her not to bring it up to you. And then he would ask Vergil about it, proof in hand and get the story from his mouth. Because there was no doubt that he and V both knew something that they weren’t telling.

Nero would be able to keep his cool through lunch, through everything. Arguing with Nico, talking with the kids, watching you laugh with Kyrie and the others while one hand grasped V’s tightly. There was truth to be had, but at the end of the day you would always be his family and friend above all other things. And that came first, your well-being always came first.

Some things were more important.

If he discovered you were this woman in red, his mother...then he would get the story from Vergil and be done with it. Just being able to know both parents was something Nero thought he’d never have, and to know his mother was someone kind and sweet in comparison to Vergil? Well...he could live with that, could go on being your friend without changing a damn thing if it meant saving you from trauma. Life would go on as always, but he would just have one less mystery hanging over his head.

There was definitely a truth to be had. But at the end of the day...family was family. And he was willing to do whatever it would take to defend it.

“Hey Nero?”

The boy looked up as he walked alongside his wife and the children, seeing you looking at him with mischief in your expression. The afternoon light making your hair glow, one arm locked with V’s as he chuckled at whatever you had cooking up.

Nero swallowed down the hesitation and uncertainty, replying easily enough, “Yeah?”

You grinned, jabbing him in the side once with a hint of challenge in your tone, one he easily caught onto, “When we get back, we should spar on the beach. You, me, and some good old-fashioned water guns.”

What was that in your expression? A hint of concern, worry for him that you were trying to mask with playfulness. She’s worried, and trying to cheer me up--Nero clicked that in place right away, knowing damn well that sparring was one of his ways to blow off steam. Of course you caught onto his unease as well, just as observant as Kyrie. He felt his wife squeeze his hand too, punctuating the offer with support of her own.

And it was in that moment, Nero realizing how very blessed he was. To have people who cared and loved him that much, to have a chance of discovering his mother was something like you, someone already close to him. It made him smirk a bit, picking up Carlo from where he walked with the other kids and letting the boy hug him around the neck.

“You’re on,” He replied with a low smirk, eyeing V at your side and adding cockily, “Bet I could take you and Shakespeare on at once.”

V rose a simple brow at that, lips quirking up in a smile as he replied with a low chuckle, “You can certainly try.”

The kids all chattered in excitement, wanting in on the battle and eager at the prospect of playing with super soakers. Nico seemed to want in on it too, pinching one of Nero’s cheeks and claiming she would ally herself with him in this so called “battle”. Nero was willing to bet there would be treachery afoot, but Kyrie would always be there to back him up in the long run.

They all would. And when the truth eventually came...that would always remain the same.

~The End~

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[momtemplative]

Saturday Afternoon, MACRO and MICRO

Definition of Macro: large-scale; overall. ie., THE FOREST.

Definition of Micro:  extremely small. ie., THE TREES. Definition of Macro, here: The wild world at large.

Definition of Micro, here:  The tiny home we inhabit, where we “shelter in place.”

MICRO—I sit here in our tiny RV that is parked in the driveway. It’s where I “go to write”, a creative parlor with wheels and a view of our magnificent choke cherry out the window that is just starting to think about blooming. (I don’t blame it for being hesitant.) 

Months back, Opal and her friend pretended this RV was a rescue vehicle for dogs—all dogs but mostly pit bulls, a breed Opal feels is highly misrepresented. From where I sit, in the passenger seat swiveled to face the rear, there are four black-and-white photocopies of gorgeous dog portraits staring at me. One pit bull in particular looks straight through me.

I’ve purposefully resisted straight-up news, aside from my nightly installment of “Good News Network” and NPR’s weekly “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” radio quiz show. But living without allowing for the outside to seep in feels unhealthy in its own right. Selectively permeable would be the proper thing to practice now. 

So I crack open my computer and dip my toes in the NY Times live coverage of the Coronavirus.

I can hear Jesse’s future voice in my head: How was writing?

Me: Good, but I’m feeling a tad suicidal now.

Him: Why?

Me: I read the news.

Him: Now why would you go and do that??

MACRO—“With President Trump having undercut the new guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by immediately declaring that he would not wear a mask himself, it was far from clear how many Americans would ultimately embrace the recommendation.”

MICRO— I return from the RV to find a house party of three people in my living room. Thankfully, my family did not get the memo that in this moment, life on the outside is complex and backwards. Ruth is on Jesse’s shoulders, no pants, shit-eating grin and fresh-cut bangs in her eyes. She shakes like a puppy with over-large ears and Opal twirls in her No ProbLLama nightgown to the Imagine Dragons song, Zero. Inside our little bubble, things are bumping! The sun floods the living room and even the anti-social cat seems obliged to hang out—from an appropriate distance.

MACRO—Governor Andrew Cuomo warns that, as infections passed 113,700 and deaths 3,500, New York State would reach the worst point of the coronavirus crisis within a week or so. He also said the state was using the machines for coronavirus patients at a rate that would exhaust its stockpile in just six days.

MICRO—Three boxes are stacked one atop the other in front of our door like a cairn. One box is for Jesse’s birthday next weekend, the others are for Ruth. 

It’s looking like COVID-19 will spit us out the other end proficient in at least one new talent—Opal’s is roller skating. She insisted on using my skates, which she found while foraging for activities in the garage like a squirrel for food. After a few days of wearing those up and down the down-stairs hallway, and back and forth on the sidewalk out front, I was certain the future for her ankles was bleak and we ordered her a pair on Amazon that were her size.

Ruth observed all this unfolding and with no intention of leaving empty-handed. Unfortunately, toddler-sized skates are much harder to come by. So, many weeks into the future, Ruthy finally got her own skates that go over her shoes and are, frankly, awesome. She also picked out the tackiest Olaf helmet—with a carrot-nose that actually protrudes—after instructing me to “search on Amazon for Olaf now please.” 

Each of those treasured items are contained in the boxes on our porch. I jump into our current porch-sanitizing routine (bleach wipes and spray lined up on the porch without apology)—wipe box, open, wipe down package inside, wash hands thoroughly. 

You can practically hear Ruth buzzing as suits up for a jolly, though quick to be exhausting, skate around the block. Her uniform killed, and would have worked as well for Halloween, Burning Man, a rave and a roller derby—mixed patterns for shirt and pants, knee pads and skates from Trolls, Olaf helmet. When she velcroes her final skate, I hear a faint, prayer-like utterance from Jesse: dear god. She is an eye-full that could save a life.

MACRO—Trump is getting help with the November election. His campaign just rolled out a new ad, titled “Hope,” featuring appreciative quotes from Gov. Cuomo and Gov. Newsom of California. With the lives of their constituents at stake, they’ve given him the made-for-TV sound bites he was never able to extract from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

MICRO— Thank god for these kids. If I were being force-fed the news then led to an empty house with, maybe, a roommate-peer who is also stressed and bloated with sad information, or if perhaps I were old and alone, I’d be struggling in an entirely different way. Sure, I have my moments of fantasizing about what it would have been like if COVID and shelter-in-place came at a time before or children, during a time when I could have relished cleaning and reading and making a weeks-long retreat out of an unsavory situation. But the fact is, these kids keep the scales level.

Not to mention the fact that affection is built-in. Even though Ruth is less interested in snuggling than she is in building block-towers or submerging every toy she owns in water, we seem to be touching constantly, in this or that way. Hugs from Opal and Jesse, snuggling on the couch for a show, holding hands on our walks around the block—it’s all-inclusive. The fact that this is not the case for everyone is something I am well aware of.

MACRO—Jared Kushner has embedded his own people in the Federal Emergency Management Agency; a senior official described them to The Times as “a ‘frat party’ that descended from a U.F.O. and invaded the federal government.” As The Washington Post reported, Kushner’s team added “another layer of confusion and conflicting signals within the White House’s disjointed response to the crisis.”

Kushner, you can’t shatter us.  Young girls in roller skates win every goddam time.

MICRO— Our block continues to be paradise. Any interest we had six months ago in selling this house has been waylaid and, thus, we are appreciating our home base in a truly different way. 

As we make our way down the block with two girls on their respective wheels, we holler at our beloved across-the-street neighbors, friends of 14 years. They sit, mysteriously, at a card table in their front yard, as if they are having an invisible garage sale. We exchange a boisterous, level-12-volume conversation from across the street, talking over each other and at the same time, expressing everything we possibly can in the tiny window we have while the girls scoot away on their skates. 

The corner that turns on to the bike path and is covered with ancient ponderosa pines smells musty and earthy and perfect. Like every camping trip ever taken. Every hike through the woods. A momentary dose of equilibrium.

When we circle back, our neighbors are still outside.  

One of them asks, “Hey, have you guys been wearing masks outside?”

“No, Governor Polis just suggests it for any public place—grocery, whatever.”

“We saw a few people driving by with them on.”

“Yea, so did we, we saw a few people out walking with them on, just outside.”

I guess the point is, if it’s not gonna hurt, you might as well do it. Hell, if we are in this far—as is shelter-in-place—then we might as well take it all the way. To pick up the slack for people who aren’t doing what they should be doing. (We are actually yelling all this in conversation across the street.) The idea that some people would still not be doing what they are supposed to be doing is ludicrous.  I’ve vented my rage at the college students of America over St. Patty’s Day, but they are all home by now, are they not? So who are we talking about here?

Fact is, as I just learned today, there are still five states that are not mandatory shelter-in-place. (I’m sorry, what??)

MACRO—“I can’t lock the state down,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, which has recorded more than 600 confirmed cases and at least 11 deaths. “People also have to be responsible for themselves.”

MICRO— Opal has been loving her evening ritual of putting Ruth to bed. She says it’s one of her most ‘special times of the day,’ though it happens only a few times a week. She takes her little sister down by the hand, gets her jammies on and teeth brushed, reads to her, the whole precious nine yards. She does that tonight, leaving Jesse and I to the quiet of ourselves and our space-sans-kids in the family room. 

Jesse promptly dozes off in the rocking chair. I lie on the floor with eyes closed in star-pose, taking up some glorious space. These days are taking a toll. But it’s also true that I laughed so hard on four different occasions this afternoon that I buckled over twice, slapped a knee and wet myself. 

So much is going well in our tiny Microcosm that sometimes it’s easy to forget the Big Picture Macro. Ignorance is indeed not far from a certain cheap kind of bliss. It makes sense why people do it, why people feel the need to avoid discomfort. But, ultimately, the mind knows when it is missing something. The soul knows when it is being cut-off. Our beings can feel when humanity is suffering, whether or not we choose to admit it to ourselves in so many words.

“Mom!” Opal whisper-yells from down the hall. “Ready!” Meaning, she’s ready for me to come and finish Ruth’s bedtime with a song. But by the time I get to Ruth’s snug and utterly safe kid-room, she is fast asleep.

4/4/20

(all quotes in italics come from the NY Times live coverage of the coronavirus from the previous week.) 

#momtemplative #HeatMamaWords #mindfulparenting #micromacro

[screensirenfic]

Black Leather - Chapter 30

The moment Steve’s sneakers hit the grass; you could feel the tension in the air change; a buzzing, almost electrical feeling whipping up my skin, like when a storm’s coming in and you can sense the change in air pressure.

I followed out after him; my boots noticeably lighter sounding despite their clunky design.

Slowly; step by step, we crept out in the open, already adopting the soldiers’ stance of bent knees and sharp eyes.

Dart let off a low chortle.

A warning. He knew we were after him.

I could see his hackles rising; a distinctly canine trait despite me knowing he was far from it.

Steve began to whistle; a cheery sharp sound more suited to calling a dog than a monster.

“Come on, buddy…’ He called, finishing it off with a series of whistles just in case he didn’t seem crazy enough.

“Come here, fella. Good boy.” Steve cooed as we crept closer, eyes fixed on the suspicious looking creature.

“Steve; cut it out. It’s not a dog.” I muttered under my breath, not entirely sure we should be treating this thing like a pet.

“Have you got any better ideas?” He pointedly asked, still not taking his eyes off the demogorgon.

I sighed, knowing he was probably right; goddamnit!

“Here boy…” I began to call, feeling every ounce the idiot as we cooed to a Lovecraftian horror like some puppy.

“Dinner time.” Steve coaxed it; and I tried not to think of the very real implications that we may end up in this thing’s stomach.

Dart continued to watch us, and I was beginning to wonder if this plan was gonna work at all.

“Aren’t you hungry, fella?” I asked; forcing a fake smile, because maybe this thing could read facial expressions.

“Human tasted better than cat; I promise…” Steve continued to tempt it, edging closer and closer still.

Finally; Dart started to respond, slowly approaching us; strange flowerlike jaws snapping at us experimentally.

Steve whipped his bat in front of him, warding Dart off like a lion tamer and his beast.

“Have you got a shot?” Steve asked, focusing on the creature in front of us in case it decided to pounce.

“Almost…” I said, lining up a shot with my gun so I could see Dart in my crosshairs.

“Just a little further…” I waited, because the fucking thing wouldn’t move it’s head and I needed a damn headshot.

“Come on, come on…” Muttered Steve, watching as the beast began to hesitate, almost as if it sensed my gun on him.

If it just moved left a little—

“Steve! Lola! Watch out!” Yelled Lucas from the top of the bus, but we didn’t have time to look.

“A little busy here!” Replied Steve, not taking his eyes off Dart, because goddamnit; we could see what it was doing! We didn’t need a—

“Three o’clock! Three o’clock!” Lucas yelled; and I turned my gun just in time to spot another demagorgon jump onto the hood of a junked car, hissing menacingly.

“Shit! You got that one?” Steve asked, noticing the other demodog, but not moving his bat away from the first.

“It’s alright. I got it in my sights. You just watch the other one.” I reassured him, settling my crosshairs over the advancing creature.

“Steve! Lola!” Yelled out the voice of Dustin, and I suddenly realised that must’ve meant he’d opened the bus door.

“Abort! Abort!” He yelled from the doors; and goddamnit! This kid was gonna get himself killed!

Suddenly, I heard hissing, and before we knew it, Dart was making a leap at Steve.

I fired at him; aiming for the head, but in quarters as close as these, it was hard to see if it met its mark.

I think my shot went wide, then—

Fuck!

The other demodog came sailing towards me, and I was beginning to think this was it…

Fuck me for watching out for Steve’s dumb a—

Shit! I landed on the metal hood of a car with a thud; the metal cold and hard against my back.

I immediately pressed my gun up, ready to fend off whatever had landed on top of me, only to realise it was Steve.

I didn’t get time to thank him for the save before the Demodog took another leap at us, but Steve managed to take a swing at it.

Wood met flesh with a firm crack, and I think Steve must’ve broken one of that thing’s legs, but it still wasn’t dead. I could fix that.

I lined up a shot with it quickly, before firing into its back.

It wasn’t a headshot, but I didn’t have time to check my kill, Steve already grabbing my arm to haul both our asses back to the bus where the kids were beckoning frantically in the doorway.

“Quick! Run! Run!” They yelled, and I swear the growls of the demagorgons had gotten louder, but I wasn’t about to stop and check.

We were almost at the door now, and I could literally feel the demagorgons snapping at our heels behind us.

We made a dive for the door, fully expecting not to make it and end up being dragged back by the ankles by a pack of vicious demagorgons.

Steve landed first; his heavier frame landed back first on the bus floor with a firm thump.

I came next, landing straight on top of him; hands quickly shooting out above him to stop myself from giving him a pretty debilitating headset.

Steve stared straight up at me; deep brown eyes sparkling with life and adrenaline, and was it just me or had his pupils gotten larger?

I smiled down at him, enjoying how he tensed beneath me, because fuck; Steve was such a sub, and a pretty one.

Steve was always so very pretty; everyone thought so, and here on the floor of a junked bus, he was no different.

Soft waves of brown hair spilling in a relative halo around his head, dumb pretty boy smile across his lips that just made you wanna kiss it off hi—

And what the hell was I thinking? This was Steve I was thinking about!

The same guy who I’d known since seventh grade.

The very same guy who made stupid jokes just to see me laugh.

The very same guy who dropped me home after Tina’s Halloween party; who held me when I’d cried because Billy had been a total dick, and goddamnit; this was Stev—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound of three very heavy bodies colliding with the closed door snapped me out of my thoughts; me quickly dismounting Steve to scramble towards the other side of the bus.

“Shit!!” Dustin exclaimed, but Steve was already on it, grabbing a piece of scrap metal from the floor and holding it to the door with his feet.

I began to reload my shotgun, knowing Steve wouldn’t be able to keep them out for long.

“They can’t get in! They can’t!” Insisted Lucas, but I don’t think the demagorgons cared, still throwing themselves at the bus door with angry hisses and bangs.

“Shitshitshitshitshitshit!” Panicked Dustin, and I don’t think he was the only one—

Shit! The demagorgons had managed to break through, already clambering to get onto the bus, but Steve wouldn’t let that happen; already standing with his bat in hand, taking swings at it’s snapping jaws.

Meanwhile; I managed to get another bullet into my shotgun, silently cursing the day I’d convinced my dad that he didn’t need a newer model.

“Is anyone there? Mike? Will? God? Anyone?!” I could hear Dustin yelling down the radio; a last ditch attempt at getting backup, despite all of us knowing we were terrifyingly alone out here.

I raised my shotgun, aiming past Steve to fire at the attacking demagorgon.

BANG! BANG!

I fired both rounds into the monster, forcing it to retreat out of the bus, and goddamnit; why weren’t these things dead yet?!

I didn’t have time to contemplate the potential invulnerability of the demagorgons; the beasts in question having already circled the bus and begun to fling themselves at the back of the bus.

The kids began to shriek in terror, and I was really beginning to regret agreeing to this field trip, because goddamnit; I could deal with monsters, but screaming children?!

“We’re at the old junkyard, and we are going to die!” Yelled Dustin into the radio, stating the truth we really didn’t need to hear, even as Max and Lucas began hopelessly looking for an escape route.

Unfortunately, not all of us had time to panic; me already getting to work at reloading my shotgun, but I don’t think I brought enough shells for this, and fuck it; I don’t even think they were work—

BOOM!

Something managed to land on the roof; the whole bus shaking with the force of the impact.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I could hear heavy footsteps reverberating on the metal roof of the bus, but somehow; I don’t think my dad had managed to parachute down and rescue us--

“AHHHHH!” Max let out a scream, staring up from the foot of the ladder at something above the sunroof.

Me and Steve rushed over to her; already knowing what it was.

“Out of the way! Out of the way!” Instructed Steve, shoving her to one side.

I levelled my shotgun with the face of a snarling demogorgon; it’s jaws parting to let out a roa--

BANG! BANG!

I unloaded my shells into the back of its throat, watching as it fell to one side and off the roof of the bus with a sickening squelch.

The bus suddenly stopped shaking, and the demagorgons hissing and roaring started to become fainter as if they were—

They were retreating!

Thank fucking god!

I wanted to fall down on my knees and praise whatever god was listening for sparing us from a gory death, but I couldn’t quite yet; not until we knew for sure.

——————————————————————————

Five minutes later, after Steve and I knew it wasn’t a trap and we weren’t about to get jumped by demagorgons the moment we opened the door, we ventured out of the bus.

Steve went outside first, nailbat in hand, because despite the fact I was better armed and more suited to fighting at range; he still had to play the gentleman and keep me out of danger.

I followed, gun at the ready, because it would be a cold day in hell when I let his ass get killed over something as stupid as chivalry.

Nothing.

Not a single living thin—

CRACK!

Me and Steve both spun towards the sound of a twig breaking; both hyper alert and ready for battle, should things get ugly.

On the outskirts of the junkyard, I could see Dart running away back towards the woods.

I raised my gun, ready to take a potshot at him, when Steve stopped me, placing his hand over my barrel and pushing it down.

I let him, deciding that I could at least defer to his judgement just this once.

Besides; we didn’t want them coming back for vengeance.

“What happened?” Lucas asked, emerging from the bus first to take  a look around.

“I don’t know.” Max replied; the next to get off the bus with a shaken look on her face.

“Do you think we scared them off?” Dustin asked, sidling up between me and Steve as if he’d done anything but screaming and whining.

“It’s possible—“ Steve replied,

“No.” I interrupted as Steve rested his bat on his shoulder, ready to call it a day.

Fuck; I was ready to call it a day, but I couldn’t, not if they were going.

I could hear the demagorgons growls and hisses in the distance, echoing as they retreated.

I knelt on the ground, studying the start of a blood trail leading into the woods.

“They’re going somewhere.”

#stranger things #stranger things 2 #stranger things fandom #stranger things2 #fanfiction #fanfic #strangerthingsfanfiction #strangerthingsfanfic #stranger things oc #strangerthings oc #original character #jim hopper daughter #hopper daughter #Billy Hargrove #billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove fanfiction #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #dustin henderson #Lucas Sinclair #Max Mayfield

[mxliv-oftheendless]

Black Dahlia (Chapter 1)

-blows trumpet- Bum-ba-da-dum-bum-bum-BAH! Here it is, the main story of the Black Dahlia series! I am honestly so proud of myself, because I waited until I had it all written out before I posted it; it took me ALL DAMN SUMMER, but it’s finally done! I know it’s basically Scooby Doo and KISS: Rock N Roll Mystery with an added character, but I’ve taken the time to flesh out Black Dahlia’s character a bit. Hope you enjoy! 

She could hear the flowers as she filled up her watering can. They didn’t have a voice in the traditional sense, in that they formed words, but they had a voice of sorts, and that was what she heard.

“It’s all right,” she said aloud as she turned off the water. “I’m coming,”

She knew they couldn’t hear her. Once upon a time, they could… but not anymore. She couldn’t hear them as well, either. Once she could hear them as plainly as she heard everyone else. But as time passed, and as she aged, the voices faded, until they were only a faint whisper.

She went around her house, watering the various plants. Along the way she passed her radio, which had beside it a whole shelf lined with CDs. She paused at her shelf, smiling fondly at her music collection. Earth definitely had produced many amazing rock bands. They all reminded her of the music of home.

She was just finishing when the doorbell rang. She put down her watering can, went to the door, and opened it. Standing on her front porch were four young adults and a Great Dane. 

“Hey, Aunt Heather!” Fred greeted her. 

Heather McMann smiled. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite nephew!”

“I’m your only nephew,” Fred reminded her, still grinning. They did this exchange whenever they met.

“Exactly. C’mere, you!”

Heather hugged Fred tightly, then turned to the others. “Hey, kids. And hello, Scooby,”

“Hi, Miss McMann,” Velma said respectfully. “It’s great to see you,”

Heather shook her head as she ushered them inside. “Velma, what have I said about calling me ‘Miss McMann’?”

“Like, that it makes you feel old,” Shaggy piped up helpfully.

“Reah, rold,” Scooby agreed.

Heather pointed at them and nodded. “Exactly,”

“Well, you look great,” Daphne interjected. The redhead looked to be in an exceptionally good mood today.

Heather grinned and flicked a lock of her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “Of course I do, honey,” 

Once the gang had settled down at her kitchen table with drinks, and Shaggy and Scooby had raided her fridge (she made a mental note to go grocery shopping soon), Heather popped open her can of Lacroix and asked, “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from my favorite nephew and his friends?”

“Well—” Fred began, but Daphne interrupted, so excited her words came out in a rush.

“WegotacallfromKISSWorldtocomesolveamysteryandwewantedtoknowifyou’dcomewithus!”

Heather paused and looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “… Run that by me again? And slower, please,”

Daphne took a sip of her drink to calm herself, then repeated what she said. “We got a call from KISS World to come solve a mystery, and we wanted to know if you would come with us,”

Heather tilted her head curiously. “KISS World?”

Velma shrugged. “Apparently, KISS has an entire theme park,”

“Oh, I know, Velma,” She had heard about it when it opened, but had never conjured up the guts to go. It was probably overpriced, anyway. “But I didn’t think there would be any problems at KISS World. Aren’t they having a Halloween concert there?”

She never dared venture out of her house on Halloween. Not when a certain being could show up…

Daphne nodded. “Yeah, they are. That’s why they called us. If we don’t solve the mystery, the concert could be canceled!”

Heather raised her eyebrows. “Now that is a catastrophe,” she agreed. She hated it as much as anyone when a rock concert had to be canceled. But she had the feeling Daphne was a bit more concerned about a KISS concert being canceled. “So you’re going, I’m guessing?”

Shaggy swallowed the bite of his snack and nodded. “Like, yeah, of course we are! It’s KISS, man! What more reason do ya need?”

Heather smiled and toasted him with her can. “Too true, my man. But why do you want me to come along with you?”

“Well, you do love KISS,” Velma reasoned. “A lot. Why do you love them so much, anyway?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? Heather glanced over at her CDs, most of which were indeed KISS albums. Her smile turned wistful for a moment. Then she shrugged. “I just do, Velma. But you still haven’t answered my question.”

“Well…” Fred said sheepishly. “… You’ve only left your house on Halloween once, and that was to take me trick-or-treating when I was ten. And we haven’t hung out in a while, plus you said a while ago it’s been ages since you’ve been to a rock concert. I just thought maybe, you could come with us, and after we solve the mystery, we could all go to the concert?”

Heather stared at him for a second. Then she smiled. Fred may have been a little odd with his obsession with traps and horrible acapella bands, but dang if he wasn’t the sweetest. He got it from his mother. “Aw, Freddy!” she cooed, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “That’s so sweet of you!”

“So you’ll go?” Shaggy asked eagerly.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to go somewhere on Halloween, just once. Maybe it would turn out okay. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The gang cheered, and Heather laughed.

Maybe it would turn out okay…

-KISSTERIA-

And that was how Heather McMann found herself sitting with Shaggy and Scooby in the back of the Mystery Machine as it rolled down the highway, with a black box of green face paint and a brush in her hands.

“Okay, Scooby, you ready?”

Scooby nodded happily. “Ruh-huh!”

“Okay, hold still,”

Heather dipped her brush into the green paint and began to paint the area around Scooby’s eyes green. The whole gang, except for Fred, had decided to dress up as KISS; Daphne was Starchild, Shaggy was Demon, Velma was Spaceman, and Scooby, in the funniest twist of irony, was Catman. Fred flat-out refused to dress up, saying he didn’t want to look stupid. Heather had refused as well, and currently wore her very ordinary outfit of black Converse, white washed jeans, a plain red shirt and her favorite black leather jacket. As usual, her pendant shaped like a black dahlia flower hung around her neck.

“Daphne, sweetie, you sure you don’t want me to draw the star?” Heather called.

“No thanks, I’m good,” Daphne replied, and returned to sketching the outline of a star over her right eye.

“Like, I can’t believe we get to go to KISS World!” Shaggy exclaimed excitedly as Heather finished on Scooby’s face. He gave her a lick on the cheek in thanks.

“And solve a mystery,” Velma added. “That’s like killing two birds with one stone!”

Scooby popped up, eager to show off his finished makeup. “Reah! Or two birds rith one cat!”

Heather laughed as she moved up to sit with Velma in the backseat. “It’s awesome to see you guys so excited,”

“Like, you look excited, too, Heather,” Shaggy commented.

Heather kept smiling. If she were to be honest, she was excited. She hadn’t left her house on Halloween in years, and now here she was, going to see the boys in concert. Almost exactly like the good old days…

“Personally, I find their sideshow act a little juvenile,” Velma stated. “But my mother told me to take a more active role in my friends’ interests.” She shrugged sheepishly at Heather. “Sorry, Heather.”

Heather shook her head. “It’s fine, Velma. We’re all interested in different things.”

“Well, I’m pretty interested in Starchild,” Daphne piped up. Her star was almost completely colored in. “He’s so dreamy,” she sighed as she went back to painting.

Heather saw Fred’s head turn slightly to glance at her, then he jerked the steering wheel to the left. The van immediately swerved left, throwing them all to the side, and causing Daphne’s brush to jerk away, leaving a black streak across her face.

“Hey!” Daphne protested.

“Sorry, everyone,” Fred apologized, though he didn’t sound sincere.

Daphne pointed her finger accusingly at him. “You did that on purpose!”

Shaggy looked at her black streak and laughed. “Like now it looks like a shooting star. Make a wish, Scoob!”

“Uh, I wish I was eating a Scooby Snack!” Scooby said cheerfully.

“Good one, dude. Uh, I wish I could breathe fire like the Demon!” Shaggy stuck out his tongue and pretended to breathe fire.

Amused, Heather put a finger to her cheek and played along. “Hmm… I wish my bluebells would listen when I tell them to grow. They’ve been real stubborn lately.”

“I wish you’d all come to your senses,” Fred said to them. “You don’t see me acting ridiculous over my favorite group, the Ascot Five, do you?” He reached into the glove compartment and took out a CD, showing five men wearing white shirts and ascots smiling cheesy smiles.

Heather rolled her eyes at her nephew as he loaded the CD into the CD player. He was literally dressed the same way as the guy in the center.

“Oh noooooo, don’t tug my ascot. Don’t tug my ascot (it’s not a scarf, no baby). You can’t have my ascot ‘cause girl, it’s mine.”

Shaggy and Scooby stuck out their tongues in disgust, while Heather’s face scrunched up as she tried to hide her disgust.  How can my own nephew like such a lame band?

Luckily, Daphne ejected the disc. “Fred, please,”

“I’m just saying,” Fred insisted, “I think they’re twice the band KISS is!”

“Fred, they’re a lame do-wop band from the sixties,” Heather deadpanned.

“Yeah, and do the Ascot Five have an awesome amusement park?” Shaggy asked pointedly.

“Reah, rawesome amusement park!” Scooby agreed.

“Quit being so stupid, Fred,” Daphne said snappishly to him.

“I am not being stupid!”

“Yes, you are!”

Heather leaned over into the front seat. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. Daphne, Fred doesn’t like KISS, and that’s fine. And Fred, it’s fine that you like the Ascot Five, just don’t judge the rest of us for liking KISS. All right?”

There was a brief moment of silence, then Fred and Daphne nodded.

Heather nodded, smiling. “Good.” She turned to Daphne. “We can fix the star, I think. Or you could be the Bandit. Starchild went by the Bandit for a while.”

Daphne turned to her curiously. “I didn’t know that,”

“You really know a lot about KISS,” Velma remarked.

“Yeah,” Shaggy agreed. “Like, how do you know so much about KISS, Heather?”

Heather smiled mysteriously at them, though internally she was hit by an onslaught of nostalgia. “That’s my little secret,” 

#black dahlia #chapter one #black dahlia series #not tagging this as shandi's kissteriaverse because it's all technically my own thing #I am honestly so excited for y'all to read this #I worked really hard on it all summer #please give me feedback #feedback is love #heather's going with the gang to kiss world! #they all love kiss #tbh why wouldn't they? #except fred of course #daphne really likes starchild #(lol but who doesn't) #velma is as usual the most rational one #heather is amused #fred is one huge thing of salt and likes a do-wop band #kiss au writing #my writing #kiss band #scooby doo and kiss: rock n roll mystery #stay tuned for chapter two!